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THE LIFE OF
JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Scientific Explorer
Mineralogist, Geologist, Zoologist
Professor in Yale University
BY
DANIEL C. OILMAN
PRESIDENT OF THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
NEW YORK AND LONDON
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
1899
Copyright, 1899, by Hari-ek & Brothers.
All rig-kis reserved.
TO
HENRIETTA FRANCES SILLIMAN
THE WIFE OF PROFESSOR DANA
WHO, FOR MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS, CHEERED
COUNSELLED, AND ENCOURAGED HER HUSBAND
ZbiB /IBcmolr
BEGUN BY HER REQUEST AND
COMPLETED WITH HER AID
ITS IRespcctfulIg 2)e&icatcD
On the Island of Mt. Desert
IN THE Summer of 1899
arjf tDorfi^ of tjf Sort) arc o«at, jrouoftt nut of an tjjem tSat Sate
pftaisuce ttittein.— Psalm CXI.
CONTENTS
PART I
CHAPTER I
PAGE
Introduction 3
The Man to be Portrayed — Sources of Information — Quotation
from Dr. Jowett — The Dana Family in America — Their Probable
Italian Origin.
CHAPTER II
School and College; Prior to 1833 ... 13
Boyhood in Utica — Early School-Days and Teachers — Reminis-
cences of Dr. Bagg — Life in Yale College— Distinguished Class-
mates — Characteristics as an Undergraduate — Bent toward Natural
Sciences.
CHAPTER III
Mediterranean Cruise, 1833-34 .... 21
Teacher of Midshipmen in the United States Navy — Voyage to
the Mediterranean — Gibraltar to Smyrna — First Impressions of
Nautical Life — Port Mahon — Scientific Studies — Ascent of
Vesuvius.
CHAPTER IV
Preparation of the " Mineralogy," 1835-38 . . 31
Waiting for Opportunities : A Period of Solicitude — Assistant to
Professor Silliman — The Yale Institute of Natural Science — Prep-
aration of the Treatise on Mineralogy — Chemical Nomenclature —
Letters to Berzelius — The Various Editions of the System of
Mineralogy — Models of Crystalline Forms.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER V
PAGE
The United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-42 45
Its Projector, John N. Reynolds — Progress of the Plan and its
Final Adoption — Organization— The Naval Officers and the
Scientific Corps — Dana's Appointment — Final Instructions and
Departure from Hampton Roads.
CHAPTER VI
Route of the Explorers, 1838-42 .... 66
Narrative of the Cruise — Madeira and Rio de Janeiro — Dangerous
Passage around Cape Horn : Extreme Peril — Valparaiso and the
Cordilleras — The South Sea Islands : The Paumotus, Society
Islands, Samoa — Australia — Discovery of the Antarctic Con-
tinent — New Zealand — The Feejee and the Sandvifich Islands —
The Northwest Coast of America — Shipwrecked at the Mouth of
the Columbia — Crossing the Pacific — Manila, Sooloo, Singapore
— Return Home by the Cape of Good Hope and St. Helena —
Arrival in New York.
CHAPTER VII
Dana's Own Letters, 1838-42 92
Aspects of Nature in the Pacific Ocean — Madeira — The Perils
of Cape Horn — Glimpses of the Patagonians — Views of the Andes
— Missions in the Pacific— Impressions of Australia — The Ant-
arctic Discovery — The Scientific Work of the Expedition — The
Feejee and Sandwich Islands — Discovery of Bowditch Island —
Loss of the Peacock — Feejeean Life — Later Letters not Dis-
covered.
CHAPTER VIII
The Reports of the Expedition ; 1842 Onward . 140
Preparation of Three Quarto Reports on the Geology, the
Zoophytes, and the Crustacea of the Expedition — In Washington
and New Haven — Difficulties Respecting the Publication of the
Reports — Letters to Gray — Characteristics of the Three Reports.
CHAPTER IX
The Professorship in Yale University . . . , 152
Marriage — Aspects of New Haven and of Yale College in the
Middle of the Century — The Faculty of that Period — Overtures
from Harvard — Appointment in Yale — Inaugural Lecture — Varied
Pursuits — Characteristics as a Teacher — Estimates of his Pupils —
Prolonged Ill-Health.
vi
CONTENTS
CHAPTER X
PAGE
Science and Religion 179
Dana's Religious Convictions — Relation of Science and Religion
— Attempted Reconciliation of Geology and Genesis — Reply to
Tayler Lewis — Friendly Words of Approval — Guyot's Influence —
Later Views — Characteristics of his Religious Life.
CHAPTER XI
Editorial Services 192
The American Journal of Science and Arts — Sketch of its History
— Its Work and Influence in the Advancement of Science — Dana's
Editorial Labors.
CHAPTER XII
The " Manual of Geology " 200
The Manual of Geology — Dana's Contributions to this Science —
Analysis of the Manual — Its Scientific Attitude — The Doctrine of
Evolution.
CHAPTER XIII
The Study of Corals 208
Prolonged Studies of Zoophytes and Coral Islands — Extracts from
the Volume on Corals — Darwin's Coral Reefs — Erroneous Notions
of the Coral World — Montgomery's Pelican Island — Origin of
Coral Sands and Reef Rock — Life of Primitive People — Changes
of Level in the Ocean Bed — One of Dana's Lectures.
CHAPTER XIV
Volcanoes : Visit to Hawaii, 1887 .... 230
Origin of the Volume on Volcanoes — Revisiting Hawaii — Changes
since his First Visit — • Notes on the Way — Letters from the
Various Members of the Party — Dana's General Survey.
CHAPTER XV
Professor Le Conte's Estimate of Dana . . 248
Professor Joseph Le Conte's Estimate of Dana as a Geologist
— Corals, Cephalization, and Volcanism — Development of the
Earth as a Unit — Continental Ice-Sheet.
CHAPTER XVI
Last Years 261
Advancing Years — The Close of Life — Tributes to his Memory
— Academic Honors — The Copley, Wollaston, and Clarke Medals,
and the Walker Prize.
vii
CONTENTS
CHAPTER XVII
PAGE
A Retrospect 280
Personal Appearance — Mode of Life — Usual Occupations and
Recreations — Continuous Ill-Health — Autobiographic Memoranda.
PART II
Scientific Correspondence 291
Exchange of Letters with Gray, Darwin, Agassiz, Guyot, Geikie,
Judd, and others.
Appendix . . . . . . . . -377
I.— Dr. Palmer's Ode.
II. — Bibliography.
III. — The New Haven University.
IV. — The Dana Pedigree,
Index
405
VIU
ILLUSTRATIONS
PROFESSOR JAMES D. DANA Frontispiece
THE TRACK OF THE UNITED STATES EXPLORING EXPEDI-
TION, 1838-42 Facing p. 72
JAMES D. DANA (1843), AGE 30 " I42
PROFESSOR DANA'S HOME " 160
PROFESSOR DANA'S STUDY, IN HIS HOME " 210
JAMES D. DANA (FEBRUARY, l8g5), IN HIS 83D YEAR . . " 270
IX
PREFACE
FIVE phrases upon the title-page give a summary of
this memoir. Professor Dana dwelt long upon the
high seas, — on their shores and islands and among their
primitive inhabitants, so that he might be called an ocean-
ographer or ocean-explorer ; his distinction as a naturalist
was gained in three great fields; and his career, from
beginning to end, was identified with Yale College.
In preparing the biography, which is personal rather
than scientific, the subject of it is his own interpreter, and
wherever his language could be introduced, or that of his
correspondents, I have preferred to quote rather than to
condense or rewrite what they have said. At the same
time, I trust that sufficient explanations have been given
to show the conditions under which the writers spoke.
The task of a biographer fell to me by the confidence
of Professor Dana's family, who remembered that for a
considerable period while living in New Haven, as a pupil,
neighbor, and friend, I knew him intimately. To Mrs.
Dana the reader is indebted for the care with which she
has saved and brought together the memorials of her
husband's life and correspondence, and for the readiness
with which she has consented to their publication. To
Professor Edward S. Dana, his father's colleague in the
University and in editing the American Journal of Science,
special acknowledgments are also due. Free use has
been made of the admirable and appreciative sketch of
his father's career which appeared in 1894. For the esti-
mate of Professor Dana's work as a man of science, I have
xi
PREFACE
drawn upon the pages of Professor Joseph Le Conte, of
the University of California, and of Professor Henry S.
Williams, now Silliman Professor of Natural History in
Yale University, whose memorial discourses glow with
friendship. The memorial discourse of Professor Dwight
has also been suggestive. Professor George P. Fisher has
been kind enough to read the chapter on the Relation of
Science and Religion, and to give me some suggestions.
To all who have favored me with correspondence, I
return my acknowledgments ; to the librarians of Yale
University, the Lenox Library, and of the Peabody In-
stitute in Baltimore, and especially to the widows of
Professors Agassiz, Gray, and Guyot. In England, like
favors were shown by Professor Darwin, Sir Archibald
Geikie, and Professor Judd. To various officers of the
United States Navy, especially Admiral Crowninshield
and Captain Craig of the Hydrographic Office, I am also
indebted for information with respect to the naval ex-
pedition which had a life-long influence upon the studies
of Professor Dana.
D. C. GiLMAN.
Xll
LIFE OF
JAMES DWIGHT DANA
PART I
LIFE OF
JAMES DWIGHT DANA
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The Man to be Portrayed — Sources of Information — Quotation from Dr.
Jowett — The Dana Family in America — Their Probable Italian Origin.
THE life of Professor James Dwight Dana is the life of
a distinguished naturalist, successively an explorer,
an investigator, a writer, an editor, and a teacher. His
versatility is as noteworthy as his longevity. Gifted with
uncommon powers of observation, memory, comparison,
and reasoning, he devoted them to the sciences of min-
eralogy, geology, and zoology. He had the advantage
of a favorable environment in his youth, — at home, at
school, and at college. Rare opportunities were subse-
quently enjoyed for seeing the most interesting parts of
the globe, — a visit to the Mediterranean Sea ; a voyage
round the world, with prolonged stay among the South
Sea Islands ; a summer in Switzerland ; and a journey, late
in life, across the North American continent, and beyond
it to the Hawaiian Islands. Long periods of quiet study
and reflection intervened. Close relations with the most
distinguished investigators in this country and abroad
3
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
(principally by correspondence), and the prompt reception
of their latest publications and of their communications
to the journal of which he was an editor, gave him early
information of the progress of science and quickened in
him the spirit of research. The duties of an instructor,
never burdensome, kept him in touch with youth. Dur-
ing the latter half of his life he suffered from continuous
ill-health, but by calmness of mind and economy of
energy, by extraordinary concentration while he was at
work, and by habits of complete repose at stated inter-
vals, he accomplished far more than ordinary men accom-
plish who have no sense of mental weariness and no
bodily ailments. With self-imposed restrictions, sup-
ported by the cheerfulness and serenity of his wife and
children, he continued to work until the very last hours
of a life which extended two years beyond fourscore.
Death came t® him with a gentle summons after he had
been crowned with abundant honors, and after his contri-
butions to science had given him the foremost rank among
his scientific countrymen and an honorable place among
illustrious naturalists of the nineteenth century.
In the main, the life to be here portrayed is one of
tranquillity. Its chief interest consists in the unfolding
of a mind of rare abilities, and in the progress of his
scientific work. Yet during Mr. Dana's long career there
were incidents more or less exciting, such as the perils of
the sea, including shipwreck ; the observation of life among
cannibals; the ascent of lofty mountains; the pleasures
of discovery in unknown regions ; the interchange of ideas
with the leaders of contemporary thought; the contro-
versies of science and religion and other earnest discus-
sions incident to the advancement of knowledge. The
reorganization of a university, the building up of a school
of science, the establishment of a museum of natural his-
tory, the conduct of the American Journal of Science, the
maintenance of correspondence with investigators from
4
OUTLINES OF THE BIOGRAPHY
Berzelius to Darwin, and the inspiration of successive
generations of young students are among the services of
his life. Five great works, several smaller volumes, and
numerous minor publications are the enduring illustrations
of his ability.
Problems of world-wide interest engaged his attention.
Opportunities, such as will never come again, were opened
to him in the exploration of the Pacific Ocean. More-
over, he lived in a period when scientific inquiry was
more varied, comprehensive, and exact than it ever was
before in the progress of mankind ; when new fields in-
vited students; when new instruments of research were
at command, and large outlays for the advancement of
science were made by institutions and governments. The
great principle of evolution was announced and developed
during this period, and Dana's correspondence on this and
kindred subjects, with Darwin, Gray, Agassiz, and Guyot,
and his successive papers, bearing more or less upon this
subject, are of significance in the history of the acceptance
of that doctrine.
The career of Mr. Dana is naturally divided into two
portions, — preparation and fulfilment ; but it is not pos-
sible to make a sharp division between the two. The
same character is apparent in both. In youth he was
a productive investigator, and, with advancing years,
he lost none of the spirit of research. For example, the
first edition of his Mineralogy appeared in 1837 (when
he was but twenty-four years old) ; and not long before
his death in 1895, the last revision of his Manual of Geol-
ogy passed under his eye. Here are nearly sixty years of
scientific productivity. For a long period in his early
manhood it was quite uncertain where his residence would
be fixed and upon what he could rely for the maintenance
of a family. He had been preparing himself to be a
naturalist ; but where in the middle of this century was a
naturalist to obtain a remunerative position ? To what
S
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
station could he be called ? His father suggested a busi-
ness arrangement by which the young man might secure
an income, and with it leisure for the pursuit of science.
His name was proposed for a professorship in more than
one college. All such anxious questions were settled by
an appointment in New Haven. In 1850, his name ap-
pears for the first time on the catalogue of Yale College,
as " SilHman Professor of Natural History." He had
already been married, and in anticipation of his college
Hfe he had built the dwelling-house on HiUhouse Avenue
which was ever afterwards his home. Henceforward a
part of his energy was absorbed by the conduct of the
Journal of Science ; college administration and instruc-
tion likewise occupied his attention ; but still the pen, his
faithful and untiring servant, was rarely at rest. Three
of his great works, on the Geology, the Zoophytes, and
the Crustacea of the United States Exploring Expedition,
successively appeared. The Mineralogy was revised and
reissued. His classes in geology showed him the need of
a suitable manual, and in 1861-62 he prepared for such
students a text-book which was over and over again en-
larged and revised. A smaller volume on the same sub-
ject was prepared a little later, and afterwards, for general
readers and for beginners, the Geological Story Briefly
Told. At a later date, he wrote the volumes on Corals
and Coral Islands and on Volcanoes.
He became recognized everywhere as an authority in
those departments of knowledge to which his mind was
directed and as a good adviser where he would not claim
to be expert. The older men deferred to his opinions,
and the younger men came to him, for suggestion, in-
struction, and counsel, as they would approach a father.
So long as his strength continued, he was never afraid of
interruptions, even in his busiest days, but was accessible
to every one who had claims to his consideration. During
the many years when he felt obliged to excuse himself
6
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
from ordinary social duties, his colleagues and pupils were
sure of a welcome, until departing strength compelled
him to economize the little that remained. In seeking to
regain his health he engaged in out-of-doors study of the
geological region which constitutes the New Haven plain
and its environments. Sometimes these excursions were
made alone, — on foot or on horseback. Sometimes a
friend or pupil went with him. At length it became his
habit, at least once a year, to take his class with him into
the field, and there give them an informal lecture or ob-
ject-lesson. None of his auditors was likely to forget his
bearing on these occasions. He was so clear, so appreci-
ative of the mental attitude of his scholars, and so ap-
proachable that every student was charmed and inspired.
Brief personal memoranda respecting his life have been
discovered in Mr; Dana's handwriting, jotted down per-
haps in answer to the inquiries of some editor or perhaps
for the information of his family ; but there is nothing
that can be termed an autobiography. His journal of the
Exploring Expedition is not known to be in existence.
Many of his letters have been preserved, and among
them those which were written to the immediate mem-
bers of his family during his early journeys. They show
the characteristics of a young traveller, writing freely to
his nearest kin, with enthusiasm and affection. In later
life, his letters are largely taken up with what may be
called the business of a scientific man, — brief, simple,
pointed, — an answer to a question, or a question for an
answer. They are sometimes, but rarely, devoted to
scientific discussion. As the pages of the American
yournal were within his control, these became the place
of record for many current observations which would
otherwise have been committed to his correspondence.
Among the letters that have come to light are a few
addressed to Darwin, while twenty of Darwin's to Dana
are at hand. There are many from Asa Gray, his life-
7
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
long friend, and a few responses. Most of those addressed
to Guyot have been kept. In early years, Edward C.
Herrick was an intimate correspondent who retained the
letters which he received. Some of those to Agassiz are
preserved, and his free answers. There are a few to Sir
Archibald Geikie and to Professor Judd. In the library
of Yale University, a collection of occasional letters ad-
dressed to Professor Dana by his correspondents, espe-
cially Europeans, have been deposited ; but in rare
instances only the letters which he addressed to them
have been recovered.
In going over these materials it is apparent that Mr.
Dana might have been a mathematician, an anatomist,
an ethnologist, or an independent explorer, as well as the
sort of naturalist that he was, and that he had those
qualities which under other circumstances might possibly
have made him an artist, a musician, or a poet ; but, as
his life unfolded, he became the accurate observer and
patient recorder of facts, and the careful reasoner with
respect to the laws or system of nature.
To this man of science, engaged in exact researches, it
mattered little where he began, or to what his attention
was directed. The study of a rock, of a crystal, of a
crustacean, of a zoophyte, of a coral island, of a volcano,
or of a continent led upward and outward to the mys-
teries of the universe, to the origin, the order, and the
purpose of the world. He was a philosopher as well as
an observer, capable of sound generalizations and of keen
attention to minute details. If any one in our day can
be called a cosmographer, Dana may have that title.
No one will fail to observe that from beginning to end
the life of Mr. Dana is marked by a sincere and unobtru-
sive religious faith. His intellect assented to the doc-
trines and his heart to the precepts of Christianity. The
indications of this belief are apparent at every stage of
his career.
8
THE EYE OF A PHILOSOPHER
Such a life and such a character this volume will por-
tray. To a great extent it is based upon Dana's own
writings, — his correspondence and his books. The esti-
mate put upon his career by those most competent to
judge of it will be fully stated, and afterwards will follow
a selection of the letters exchanged with men of science.
For Dana we may claim an honorable rank in the com-
pany to which Linnaeus, Cuvier, Darwin, and Agassiz
belonged, — men who excelled in special, patient, and
prolonged investigation, yet who also had the power, un-
trammelled by the scrutiny of specimens, to take broad
views of nature and her laws, and who thus became to
their contemporaries the philosophical interpreters of that
small portion of the cosmos which comes within the
cognizance of man.
In the Hfe of Benjamin Jowett, the Master of Balliol
College in the University of Oxford, an extract is given
from one of his sermons which seems to express the senti-
ments of Professor Dana so concisely that it will be here
quoted. If it were written as an estimate of the Ameri-
can geologist it could hardly be more appropriate.
" Let us imagine some one, I will not say a little lower
than the angels, but a natural philosopher, who is capable
of seeing creation, not with our imperfect and hazy fancies,
but with a real scientific insight into the world in which
we live. He would behold the hand of law everywhere:
in the least things as well as in the greatest; in the most
complex as well as in the simplest ; in the life of man as
well as in the animals ; extending to organic as well as to
inorganic substances; in all the consequences, combina-
tions, adaptations, motives, and intentions of nature.
He would recognize the same law and order, one and
continuous, in all these different spheres of knowledge;
in all the different realms of nature; through all time,
over all space. He would confess, too, that the actions
of men and the workings of the mind are inseparable from
the physical incidents or accompaniments which prepare
the way for them or co-operate with them, and that they
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
are ordered and adjusted as a part of a whole. Nor would
he deny, when he looked up at the heavens, that this
earth, with its endless variety of races and languages, and
infinity of human interests, each one so individual and
particular, and each man only to be regarded as a pebble
on the seashore, is a point in immensity in comparison
with the universe ; in this universe, in the utmost limit to
which the most powerful instrument can carry the eye of
man, there is still the same order reappearing everywhere,
the same uniformity of nature, the same force which acts
upon the earth. This is that law, one and continuous in
all times and places, which may be truly said to be ' the
visible image of God,' and ' her voice the harmony of
the world.' "
II
The origin of the Dana family in America is clearly
traced to the arrival of Richard Dana in 1640 (or earlier)
at Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is believed to have
come from England, and it is conjectured that his father
came from France or Italy. " We are all one man's sons "
is the motto prefixed to the genealogical memoranda
compiled in 1865 by Rev. John Jay Dana. " It may be
considered as settled," he writes, " that the surname
borne by our common ancestor, Richard, was a word of
two syllables, properly spelt Dana (not Dane nor Denny),
and that no person is found to have borne that name in
America or England (entitled to it by descent) who is not
descended from him." This Richard Dana died April 2,
1690, having been for half a century a citizen of good
standing and a landholder in Cambridge, Massachusetts
(in that part now called Brighton), and at different times
a surveyor of highways, a constable, a tithing-man, and
a grand- juror. He married, probably in 1648, Anne
BuUard of Cambridge, who died July 15, 171 1. Among
their descendants are many who have won distinction in
science, literature, military service, the editorial chair,
law and politics, and in the ministry of the Gospel.
10
THE DANA FAMILY
Among the more famous of those no longer living may
be mentioned Francis Dana, Chief- Justice of Massachu-
setts; his son, Richard Henry Dana, poet and man of
letters, and his son, Richard Henry Dana, Jr., author of
Two Years before the Mast, an acknowledged authority on
international law; Rev. Joseph Dana, D.D., of Ipswich,
Massachusetts, and his son. Rev. Daniel Dana, D.D., of
Newburyport, Massachusetts; Rev. James Dana, D.D.,
of Wallingford, Connecticut, and his son, Samuel Whit-
tlesey Dana, LL.D., United States Senator from Connec-
ticut; Hon. John Winchester Dana, Governor of Maine;
James Freeman Dana, M.D., Professor of Chemistry in
Dartmouth College and in New York; Samuel Luther
Dana, M.D., of Waltham, and afterward of Lowell,
Massachusetts, a practical chemist ; and Charles A. Dana,
of New York, Assistant Secretary of War, and still more
widely known as editor of the Tribune and the Sun.
The pedigree of James Dwight Dana is this: he was
the son of James Dana, of Utica, New York (i 780-1 860),
who was the son of George Dana, of Stow and Ashburn-
ham, Massachusetts (1744-1787), the son of Caleb Dana,
of Cambridge, Massachusetts (1697-1769), the son of
Daniel Dana, of Cambridge, Massachusetts (1663-1749),
who was the son of the original immigrant, Richard Dana,
of Cambridge (died in 1690), and Anne Bullard, his wife
(died in 171 1).
Various efforts have been made to discover the Euro-
pean ancestry and connections of the American Danas.
The Italian origin of the family has been suggested.
Thus, Signor Quintino Sella, Minister of Finance under
Victor Emanuel, wrote from Turin in 1869 to Professor
Dana, saying: " It is most probable, if not quite sure,
that Italy has the right of claiming you as one of her
offspring." He adds that the birthplace of the Dana or
Danna family is Vasco, a village near Mondovi, where
there are still many branches of the Dana family. " It is
II
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
curious," continues Signor Sella, " that in the Italian
branches of the Dana family, the taste for the natural
sciences is not rare. Casimiro Dana (lately Professor of
Literature in the University of Turin) mentions to me
five Danas, all naturalists or physicians — medical men."
Thus far I have followed the family genealogy and the
Italian theory accepted by the subject of this memoir.
I am, however, compelled to add that this is not all re-
garded as the truth by other members of the family. One
of them who has paid much attention to the genealogical
records. Miss Elizabeth E. Dana, has been so kind as to
give me for insertion here some of the data which she has
discovered. She writes that the name Dana was found
in Manchester, England, in the middle of the seventeenth
century, where may be found the record of a Richard
Dana's baptism, October 31, 1617; but whether or not this
is the original settler at Cambridge has not been deter-
mined so far as I can learn. Obed Dana was an Oxford
B.A. in 1650. There are Danas now living in England
who are descendants of Rev. Edmund Dana of Massa-
chusetts. Three or four Dana families, not of the New
England stock, are now residents of the United States,
one of them of German parentage (possibly Dahne) ; one,
Canadian; and one which came from Londonderry, Ire-
land, some forty years ago. The origin of the family
whether Italian or French, is still open to investigation.
Interesting accounts of the family have appeared in
Munsey's Magazine, for 1 896, and with many noteworthy
details, in the Brighton Item, between March 18, and
April 29, 1899, by J. P. C. Winship.
12
CHAPTER II
SCHOOL AND COLLEGE; PRIOR TO 1833
Boyhood in Utica — Early School-Days and Teachers — Reminiscences of
Dr. Bagg — Life in Yale College— Distinguished Classmates— Charac-
teristics as an Undergraduate — Bent toward Natural Sciences.
UTICA, in Oneida County, New York, not quite one
hundred miles to the west of Albany, is one of the
towns that owe their prosperity in part to the rich soil of
the Mohawk valley and in part to the Erie canal. By
this water highway Utica was brought into easy inter-
course, after 1825, with the great lakes of the west and
the harbor of New York, and hence its growth. It is
well to remember that the town was established upon
the site of Fort Schuyler, that famous post which in early
days protected the inhabitants of the upper Hudson from
the incursions of the Indians. It is now a flourishing
city of more than 55,000 inhabitants, but in 1813, the
year of Professor Dana's birth, it had but 1700 inhabitants,
and in 1830, when he went to college, somewhat more
than 8000.
To this feeble settlement on the frontier James Dana
removed from Massachusetts, the home of his forefathers
for several generations, having married, in 1812, Harriet
Dwight, a daughter of Seth Dwight of Williamsburg,
Massachusetts. Her brother. Rev. H. G. O. Dwight,
D.D., was afterwards distinguished as a Christian mis-
sionary in Constantinople. Their first child, the eldest of
ten brothers and sisters, James Dwight Dana, was born
13
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
in Utica, February 12, 1813. The father died in i860,
at the age of eighty ; the mother lived till 1870.
Everything in the home life at Utica was wholesome
and invigorating. The parents were alike characterized
by thrift, integrity, and good sense. Both of them were
of strong religious convictions, based upon the moderate
Calvinistic doctrines of the Congregational Church, to
which they belonged. The mother is described as a
sweet singer, with a low voice and gentle manner, from
whom her eldest son may have inherited his musical
tastes. She exercised complete control over her large
family. James appears to have been particularly intimate
with her, even after he left home, and in early and later
years he constantly wrote to her in confidential and affec-
tionate terms. On his father's uprightness, sagacity in
business affairs, and good judgment the son placed com-
plete reliance. " Honesty, virtue, and industry seem
almost to be our natural inheritance " are the words with
which in middle life he expressed his estimate of his
parents.
There are not many glimpses of the boyhood of James
Dwight Dana, but one of his aunts, an early companion
and playmate, who still lives (1899), at the age of eighty-
four, has written that " he was a merry boy, always
ready for a game of romps," of which, she says, " with
George, John, and Harriet, we had a great many, in barn
and in garden, and even in the house."
" In the evenings," she goes on to say, " we played
various quieter games in the big, bright kitchen, with its
wood fire. I remember James was an adept at making
what we called ' witches,' — not the Salem kind, but the
pith of corn-stalks, with a face of ink or paint, and a lead
crown that made her stand on her head however often we
put her upright. I presume it was the philosophical
character of this toy that made its attraction for James.
He began very early studying the elements of Mother
Earth and collecting specimens. I think he had quite
14
BOYHOOD
a cabinet before he was ten years old. I recall many
tramps, when we came back laden with what looked very
like ' trash ' to most folks. But dear Sister Harriet was
an angel of patience."
We have also a picture of the school where this boy
was taught after he reached the age of fourteen,— the
Utica High School. Charles Bartlett was its master, and
Fay Edgerton the teacher of science. Its methods were
influenced in no slight degree by those of the Round Hill
School in Northampton, where Joseph G. Cogswell and
George Bancroft were teachers, and still more by those
of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, then
under the direction of Amos Eaton, an influential pro-
moter of scientific teaching throughout eastern and cen-
tral New York. Many are they who owe their love of
science directly or indirectly to this inspiring teacher.
A letter from Dr. M. M. Bagg, of Utica, gives these
particulars :
" About 1826, Charles Bartlett, a graduate of Union
College, ambitious and enterprising, though not remarka-
ble as a scholar, and having liberal ideas of what should
be the requirements of such a school as he proposed to
establish, gave up a day-school that he was then con-
ducting, and devoted some time to preparations for his
future work. After visiting several schools of the day,
he is believed to have adopted as his model the Round
Hill School of Northampton, then in wide repute. The
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, a pioneer
school of science, then flourishing under the direction of
Amos Eaton, furnished other and important features that
were adopted. As his teacher of the natural sciences
he selected Fay Edgerton of Bennington, Vermont, a
recent graduate of the Institute, and with him and other
teachers the Utica High School (as Mr. Bartlett called
it) was begun in the year 1827. Mr. Edgerton gave lec-
tures in a moderately furnished laboratory, successively
in chemistry, botany, mineralogy, and geology, to classes
of the older students, who in turn were required, after a
15
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
study of the topic, to give back the lecture with its ex-
periments to the teacher and their fellows of the class.
He was an enthusiast in his own line of study and in-
struction. Besides his lectures in the lecture-room, he
scoured the country round, either with or without his
pupils, showed them where to go in pursuit of whatever
was instructive or curious, assisted them in the naming
and care of their specimens, and inspired them with new
zeal for natural science. During the long summer vaca-
tions he made lengthy excursions with half a dozen or
more of his class to distant parts of the State or the
neighboring ones, visiting localities that abounded in
particular rocks or minerals, and bringing home stores for
their own or the school collection. These excursions
were made almost wholly on foot, a single horse and
wagon accompanying the party to carry their scanty ward-
robe and relieve the oft-burdened mineral satchel worn
by each of them, until such time as they reached a suitable
place for shipment.
" After some three years of service, this intelligent,
amiable, earnest teacher withdrew to become Professor
of Chemistry and Botany in the Medical School of Wood-
stock, Vermont. He died in 1838.
" He was succeeded (in 1829) by Dr. Asa Gray, sub-
sequently the well-known Professor of Botany at Harvard.
A native of the neighboring town of Sauquoit, Dr. Gray
had but recently finished his course at the Medical School
at Fairfield, where he had before been a pupil of the
Academy. He was quite as well informed as Mr. Edger-
ton had been, as eager and as sympathetic in the cultiva-
tion of science, and in all respects as capable and as
beloved a teacher. Botany was even then his chief de-
light, and his application to it was most diligent. It is
told of him in his biography that early in 1828 he pro-
cured a copy of Eaton's Text-book of Botany and be-
gan by himself to analyze and discover the names of
plants he gathered. Afterwards when at Fairfield he
received some assistance from Prof. James Hadley, father
of the eminent Greek scholar of Yale. His flashing eye,
and his cry of exultation as he bounded forward to seize
a new plant which he spied at a distance, while botanizing
with his class, no member of that class who is alive can
forget, any more than they can his courteous and sprightly
16
COLLEGE DAYS
manner, his engaging mien, and his devotion to their
improvement. He introduced to the class the natural
method of studying botany in lieu of the Linnsean system
that had before been in use, and with his microscope he
laid open to the learners the as yet unseen mysteries of
the vegetable creation."
Dr. Bagg has an impression that Dana was taught by
Asa Gray. No trace of this relation has appeared in the
correspondence of these two naturalists and friends, nor
is it among the traditions of Mrs. Dana or of Mrs. Gray,
although it is possible that Dana may have been in the
school after Gray became one of its teachers.
Among Dana's schoolmates was Dr. S. Wells Williams,
who continued to be his intimate friend through life. The
residence of Dr. Williams in China, where he won distinc-
tion as a lexicographer and historian, and where he ren-
dered important services to the legations of the United
States as well as to the work of foreign missionaries,
separated the two friends ; but they exchanged letters of
an intimate character, and late in their lives were brought
together again as neighbors and colleagues in New Haven.
Dr. Williams became Professor of the Chinese Language
in Yale University in 1874, and died there in 1884.
From the Utica High School, Dana went to Yale Col-
lege in 1830, attracted, as he often said, by the reputation
of Professor Benjamin Silliman, who was then at the
height of his reputation as a teacher, lecturer, and editor.
He began his new life at the beginning of the sophomore
year, and graduated Bachelor of Arts in 1833. The col-
lege was then a very small institution, where everything
was managed upon a simple and economical plan ; but it
represented the best traditions of New England, and gave
to its pupils a thorough training in Latin and Greek, and
in mathematics, with an introduction to natural phi-
losophy and astronomy, as well as to chemistry, mineral-
ogy, and geology. Day, Silliman, and Kingsley were
17
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
the lights of the institution. The library was small, and
could not have been very stimulating to a student of
science. There was, however, an excellent cabinet of
minerals, collected by Colonel George Gibbs, chiefly by
purchase during his residence in Europe. This had been
brought to New Haven twenty years before, at the in-
stance of Silliman, and was bought by the college, through
his instrumentality, in the year 1825. It requires no
stretch of the imagination to believe that this noteworthy
collection exercised a strong influence upon Dana's future
studies. It afterwards came under his supervision, was
carefully rearranged by him, and now constitutes the
nucleus of the mineralogical department of the Peabody
Museum of Natural History.
Several of Dana's classmates acquired distinction, and
among them Rev. George E. Day, D.D., afterwards a
Professor of Hebrew in the Theological Seminary of Yale
College, who occupied the same rooms as Dana during
their undergraduate course. General William H. Russell
spent his life in New Haven as the head of an important
Military School, and many of the boys whom he trained
took an honorable part in the defense of the Union
in the recent civil war. Another classmate, Rev. Dr.
Samuel W. S. Dutton, was for many years the pastor of
the North (Congregational) Church in New Haven. Be-
sides these residents of New Haven, his class included
Hon. Alphonso Taft, a distinguished lawyer who became
Governor of Ohio and Secretary of War; Dr. E. K.
Hunt, a well-known physician in Hartford (after whom
the Hunt Memorial building was named); Josiah Clark,
a teacher of unusual ability in Williston Seminary; Prof.
E. A. Johnson, the Latinist of the New York University ;
and Dr. Silas Holmes, who was one pf the medical staff
of the Wilkes Expedition.
Nothing has come to light which shows that any one
of the faculty discovered in their undergraduate pupil the
18
UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
rare qualities that Dana possessed. He appears to have
been modest, diligent, faithful, and upright, giving the
required attention to all the studies which made up the
fixed curriculum, without, attracting much notice.
With respect to his father's course as an undergraduate,
we have these words of the younger Professor Dana :
He was a faithful student, but those were days of a
rigid course of study, chiefly in the classics, affording
little to appeal to a mind with a strong bent for the
methods and facts of science. It is not surprising, there-
fore, that though obtaining a good place on the honor
list he did not make a brilliant record for general scholar-
ship. He was, moreover, at a disadvantage because of
insufficient training in the ancient languages, felt espe-
cially by one entering after the close of the first year of
the course. It should be stated, however, that during
his undergraduate life he attained distinction in mathe-
matics, a subject for which he always had decided apti-
tude. During this time he made much progress in science,
especially in his favorite study of mineralogy. In botany
also he took great interest ; during his college life he made
a large collection of the plants of the New Haven region,
and a printed list of the local flora, carefully checked and
annotated by him, is still preserved. ' '
In his senior year he offered himself for the position of
an instructor of midshipmen in the United States Navy.
Until the Naval Academy was opened in Annapolis, it
was the custom of the government to place young aspir-
ants for a naval career under the charge of schoolmasters,
who went with them to sea. In order to promote the
appointment which Dana sought. President Day, and
others of the faculty, gave him their personal endorse-
ment. Thus, his tutor, Henry Durant, who afterward
became President of the University of California, certi-
fied that Dana had been uniformly punctual and exact in
the discharge of his several duties as a member of the
college, and that he excelled in mathematical studies,
19
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA.
and in some of the natural sciences, while in all depart-
ments he had made good attainments. Professor Silli-
man added that the candidate evinced uncommon interest
in physical science, and that his attainments in chemistry,
geology, and mineralogy were of the most respectable
character and such as indicate ingenuity, industry, and
perseverance. Dana gladly accepted the appointment
of schoolmaster in the navy, which he had solicited, and
entered the service of the government; but before em-
barking he returned to the college, passed his final
examinations, and was thus qualified to proceed to the
degree of Bachelor of Arts, which was conferred upon
him, with his class, in 1833.
20
CHAPTER III
MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE, 1833-1834
Teacher of Midshipmen in the United States Navy — Voyage to the Medi-
terranean — Gibraltar to Smyrna — First Impressions of Nautical Life —
Port Mahon — Scientific Studies — Ascent of Vesuvius.
THE future naturalist, whose pedigree has been given
and whose training at home, at school, and at college
has been traced in outline, began to look forward, when
he entered upon the studies of his senior year at Yale, to
the problems of the future. There were then in this
country no opportunities for graduate studies, as they are
now called, excepting those which led to the professions
of law, medicine, and theology. The pathway to natural
science often went through the portals of medicine, not
only on this side of the ocean, but abroad. It does not
appear that Dana, after the attainment of the Yale bacca-
laureate, ever thought of visiting Great Britain in the
pursuit of science, like Silliman and many a physician in
the early part of the century, or of following Bancroft,
Woolsey, and other classical scholars to one of the uni-
versities of Germany. There is an indication that he
looked with longing to the science of Paris, to which the
name of Cuvier had given world-wide renown. But in-
stead he became, as we have seen, a teacher of midship-
men upon a vessel destined to the Mediterranean. For
him, this was an ideal position. It afforded intellectual
occupation, salary, leisure, and abundance of opportuni-
ties. Neither lecture-room nor laboratory would have
21
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
quickened his mind and developed his powers of observa-
tion as the cruise upon which he entered. Under the
simultaneous restrictions and allurements of nautical life,
independence of thought was strengthened in a character
which by antecedent influence was prone to accept
authority. It was not, to any considerable degree, the
wonderful history of the lands adjacent to the Mediter-
ranean, nor their ruined cities and shrines, nor the man-
ners and customs of unfamiliar people which excited the
curiosity of this young traveller, fresh from the study of
Latin and Greek, but the phenomena of nature.
Dana began to seek for an appointment in the navy as
early as August, 1832. In a letter dated February 14,
1833, he addresses Captain Ballard, U. S. N., in these
words : " Wishing to obtain the ofifice of schoolmaster on
board one of the nationar vessels destined to the Medi-
terranean, I was advised by the Secretary of the Navy to
make application to you. It is a station which I seek
with much earnestness, and no labor will be spared on my
part to render myself qualified for it. ' ' The appointment
came in the following April, and the prospective " school-
master " was directed to report by the 15th of June to the
commanding naval officer at Norfolk, for service on board
the U. S. ship of the line Delaware, Captain Henry E.
Ballard.
Here is a letter which throws a sidelight upon the long
period of uncertainty with respect to the appointment,
and it also indicates the interest that Dana already took
in the study of entomology. The writer, Edward C.
Herrick, was a man of uncommon parts, the circumstances
of whose life prevented him from attaining the distinc-
tion to which his tastes, his talents, and his assiduity en-
titled him. He received from the college an honorary
degree of Master of Arts in 1838. He was always ab-
sorbed in the duties of a business man and in serving
others, but intervals of leisure were largely devoted to
22
FRIENDSHIP OF E. C. HERRICK
two very different fields : the study of insects and the
observation of meteors, — to which may be added close
attention to the annals of Yale. He held successively
the offices of librarian and of treasurer in the college ;
he was editor of the triennial catalogue and of the obituary
record, and there were few, if any, men of mark at New
Haven, in literature or science, during the middle years
of this century, who were not indebted to him for sug-
gestions, corrections, stimulus, or assistance. As long as
he lived, his friendship for Dana continued, and for a con-
siderable period before his death in 1862, almost every
page of the Journal of Science passed under the typo-
graphical scrutiny of his marvellous, microscopic eye.
His name, which should never disappear from the memo-
ries of Yalensians, will often be mentioned in these pages.
E. C. HERRICK TO DANA
" New Haven, May 25, 1833.
" My dear Fellow:
" I had the pleasure of forwarding to you, by the mail
which left this place yesterday noon, the long-expected
letter from Captain Ballard [dated April i, 1833], of which
you have a copy above. I had wellnigh despaired of
the existence of the document, and you no doubt have
felt the force of Solomon's observation, that ' hope
deferred maketh the heart sick,' but all such feelings
may now give place to those of a more cheerful kind.
I heartily wish you all possible enjoyment in your new
vocation.
" You will doubtless remark that there seems to be
something rather strange about the chronology of Captain
Ballard's letter. I believe it is not usual, especially
among men of business, to retain a letter a month after
writing, as this appears to have been. But, whatever
may be the rationale of the phenomenon, it will hardly
be advisable to take much trouble to hunt it up, as the
fact, though somewhat singular, can do no harm here-
after. You may consider yourself fortunate in getting it
23
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
even at this late hour, seeing that the mails are so much
out of order.
" As to entomology, my hands are quite running over.
I have found, in one place and another, as many as half
a dozen CecidomyicBoides , which have given me consider-
able trouble. Most of the cells in my possession (chiefly
of your collecting) are being delivered of their inhabitants.
All that have yet appeared from these sources are new,
and some of them very curious. The Solidago has pro-
duced twenty or thirty individuals. Of the Ceraph d.
(alias No. i), fifteen or twenty have appeared. I have
succeeded in eliminating some of their eating apparatus
without any very peculiar difficulty. The mandibles are
quadridentate, the maxillary palpi four-articulate, and
the labial palpi binarticulate. "
A memorandum in Dana's handwriting gives the fol-
lowing summary of the voyage :
" 1833. August 14th, leave New York in the ship of
the line Delaware, as an instructor of mathematics, on a
cruise to the Mediterranean. Arrive at Cherbourg Sep-
tember nth, pass Gibraltar (without stopping) October
23d, and arrive at Mahon, island of Minorca, November
3d.* During the summer cruise visited Toulon in
France; in Italy, Genoa, Leghorn, Florence, Naples,
and the surrounding country ; passed through the Straits
of Messina and spent three months in the Archipelago,
visiting Athens, Napoli di Romania, island of Milo, and
Smyrna, in whose harbor the greater part of this time
was passed. Leave Smyrna September 24th, and arrive
in Mahon October 9th. Sunday, October 26th, leave
Mahon for New York, where we arrived December 10,
1834, soon after which," adds the traveller, " my con-
nection with the navy was dissolved."
The first impressions of nautical life are thus given in
a letter to his mother from the ship Delaware, Hampton
Roads, a short time previous to the beginning of the
cruise.
♦Before leaving Mahon, Dana was transferred to the frigate United
States, on which the voyage was continued until the return to America.
24
LIFE ON THE MEDITERRANEAN
TO HIS MOTHER
" July 25, 1833-
" I am very pleasantly situated on board, associated
with a fine set of young men and having better accom-
modations than is usual with schoolmasters in the navy.
I have not yet experienced any of the inconveniences of
a sea life, our board being similar to what it was on
land, as we are not yet entirely out of the reach of
markets or of fresh provisions. We do not draw our
rations in ship's provisions, but instead take their value
in money ($15 for two per month), and with that lay in
our own store. If you were here, you would see me
writing on a mahogany table, which the captain gave us
a few days since for our mess, in a very comfortable room
in the hinder part of the ship. At least it is pleasant
now and will be when in port ; but at sea we shall prob-
ably live nearly all the time by candle-light. However,
on the whole we think our room quite comfortable,
especially as we shall be near land more than half the
time. Two carriages with guns on each side of the room,
extending just out of the port-holes, are part of our furni-
ture. We now number eleven : six passed midshipmen,
three assistant surgeons, captain's clerk, and myself.
Four or five midshipmen will go out with us as pas-
sengers to France, making in all seventeen or eighteen in
the mess. The officers on the ship are generally quite
agreeable men, and, as I heard one person say (much to
his discredit), ridiculously temperate. I every day see
the grog served out to the sailors at morning, noon, and
night ; still I understand that about a hundred do not
receive their portion. I once in a while hear of a case of
■mania a potu, or madness from drinking, among the crew,
which shows that we have the most desperate characters
as well as the most temperate on board.
" It is quite a novel sight to see five or six hundred
sailors swinging in their hammocks on one of the decks,
stowed so closely as almost to touch one another. Their
hammocks are merely a piece of cloth suspended by cords
attached to the ends; and of course its sides close up
around them when lying in it. I believe in my former
letter I stated that a cot was given me — a much more
agreeable receptacle for myself at night than the loose
hammock.
25
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
" At New York, we took on board as chaplain the
Rev. Mr. Stewart, the author of ^ Journal of a Voyage to
the South Seas, and formerly a missionary to the Sandwich
Islands.* He stands high in the estimation of the Navy
Department, and it is to the no small gratification of such
oiificers as I have heard speak of him that he has been
selected to accompany us. The captain informed me that
the chaplain would preside over the school and that I
would be an assistant. I am very well pleased with the
arrangement, as it will give it more importance and dig-
nity, and will take some of the responsibility from me.
The ship's library will be put under my charge. . . ."
The following letter, addressed to his brother John,
then a boy of sixteen and afterwards a practising physi-
cian in New York, is one of the mementoes of the voy-
age. As a picture of a famous naval rendezvous, Port
Mahon, more than sixty years ago, it has an interest
quite apart from its personal allusions.
TO HIS BROTHER JOHN
" Port Mahon, Dec. i8, 1833.
" You will probably, before the reception of this letter,
have heard of my arrival at this port. I suppose you re-
member where on the face of the globe it is; that it is a
famous harbor in the island of Minorca; yes, famous
from the time of the ancient Carthaginians, who entered
it and, as is supposed, gave it its name after one of their
generals or commanders. It is, I suppose, one of the
best harbors in this sea. It runs up a distance of three
miles from the south into the island, with a width of but
a half-mile; is deep enough for the largest vessels, and
its banks are so steep that they can lie alongside of the
shore throughout a great part of it. Nature has fur-
nished its sides with a wall of stone, while its bottom is
a soft mud very well adapted to receive an anchor. The
Lazaretto, that is, the quarantine ground, is a small island
* This was the Rev. Charles S. Stewart, whose Private Journal of a
Voyage to the Pacific Ocean and Residence at the Sandwich Islands, 1822-
1S2J, was published in 1828.
26
LIFE AT PORT MAHON, MINORCA
about a mile from the entrance. Here our ship was
lying for six days in quarantine. I presume you know
what it is to be in quarantine. You have read of the
smoking that is undergone both by persons in quarantine
and letters, etc. , — of the suffocating fumes of sulphur that
are applied. We suffered none of these inconveniences,
on account of our being a national vessel, and indeed
there was nothing in it which was in the least disagree-
able, except the seeing of the land so near without a
possibility of reaching it, for we were not allowed to
leave the ship, except it be to go to the Lazaretto, when
an officer would accompany us around. It was really
provoking after so long an absence from land (for we did
not stop at Gibraltar) to have the power to see it only.
Glad was I when the six days were over and the ship
moved farther up the harbor to the Navy Yard, where she
now lies. Mahon is opposite.
" This is the usual winter quarters of our squadron.
Formerly the French and Dutch also wintered here. But
on account of some difficulties happening between the
crews of different nations, we now have the harbor to
ourselves, they having selected other places. We find it
a tolerably good place to live at, have plenty of fresh
grub (sailor term for fresh provisions), among which I
might enumerate several kinds of fish, partridges, shell-
fish in abundance (not the common oyster or clam of our
country, but what some prefer, although I cannot say
that I do, — the datefish, found in holes in rocks beneath
water) ; also grapes, a most delicious fruit in these coun-
tries, much superior to ours ; and oranges we have in
abundance from a neighboring island — Majorca; also
figs, etc. Wine is another of the articles which is
here afforded in great abundance. So much was made
on this island for the past season that they had not bar-
rels to put it in. Our table is always furnished with a
couple or more bottles of it, and it is drank like cider.
For 12 cents you get a gallon, and I suppose it is as good
as that for which you would in the United States pay
$1.50 per bottle. Thus you see we can live luxuriously
here if we choose. The sports in Mahon are few.
" Let me first give you some idea of the place. It con-
tains about 13,000 inhabitants, in houses well built for a
Spanish town. Its appearance is exceedingly neat, even
27
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
more cleanly than our cities. One reason for this is that
they have no carriages, making the jackass answer every
purpose, and you frequently see boys in the streets pick-
ing up in baskets the dung after the jacks, which they
sell for manure, — such is their poverty. Whitewash is
used here very profusely, both inside and out, and it is
this mostly which gives to the city its neat appearance.
The streets are well paved but without sidewalks, gener-
ally narrow and crooked. Thus you have Mahon. As
I said before, its sports are not numerous. Some of the
officers make a sport of the Monte's table, in other
words gambling table (of a peculiar kind), when some-
times they win, but almost universally ultimately lose.
Some are now losers of a hundred dollars, which slipped
from them in one night. Poor business ! I never try it
myself. Each tavern is furnished with them, and the
character of the officers is the cause of it, for it is found
that a hotel without one is not frequented. The theatre
has been open once and I attended, but it was nothing
great, half circus, part dancing, once on stilts, and the
remainder a pantomime which was the most pleasing
part. The actors merely gesture, and thus make them-
selves understood and go through a singular play. Opera
and masquerades are amusements which some expect will
be open in the course of the winter. The death of the
king of Spain — Ferdinand VII. — has thus far hindered
them. The people are now rejoicing for the ascension
of the queen.
" I am learning to play on the guitar, — a fine instru-
ment it is.
" But some foreign news I have heard which is of the
most important kind. Louis Philippe has been im-
prisoned. The people of France cry for a republic.
The army of the French has marched from the frontiers
of Spain to Paris."
The tendency of Dana's mind is shown by a note in
which he mentions the pursuits of his leisure hours.
These are his words :
" During the summer, engaged aboard ship in some
crystallographic investigations founded on the data given
28
ASCENT OF MT. VESUVIUS
in Phillips's Mineralogy. Calculated the dimensions and
angles of most crystals figured by him ; contrived a new
system of crystallographic symbols. Read attentively
Berzelius's article on chemical nomenclature. Thought
of some improvements.
" In the course of March and April collected pupae of
the Hessian fly from the wheat-fields on the island of
Minorca, and obtained from them the perfect insect.
This, then, is no longer to be considered an American
insect. Afterwards found the same at Toulon and
Naples."*
In July, 1834, he visited Mount Vesuvius, and wrote
a letter to his former teacher in New Haven, giving an
account of its condition. This was published in the
American Journal of Science in the following year, —
the first of that long series of communications from his
pen by which that journal was enriched.
At a later date, after his return, he speaks of arranging
on paper the results of his investigations of the geology
of Minorca, which considerably interested him while on
the island.
By these tokens the coming naturalist is revealed ; — all
this when he had but reached the age of twenty-one.
To the rapid reader the Vesuvius letter may appear
somewhat dry, but those who are interested in the de-
velopment of Professor Dana's mind, and in his career
as an observer of geological phenomena, cannot fail to
notice that this ascent of Vesuvius made a strong im-
pression on the youthful student, and that he often
recurred to this experience in subsequent years, and es-
pecially in his study of the Hawaiian volcanoes. The
letter will therefore be printed in the second part of this
volume.
* After returning from the Mediterranean, he published, in connection
with Mr. J. D. Whelpley, a description of two new species of Hydrachnella,
which are christened Hydrachna formosa and Hydrachna pyriforma, and,
in connection with Herrick, a detailed description of a new species of
Argulus, whifh they named the Argulus catostomi.
29
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
In another letter Dana writes that he does not expect
to remain in the navy beyond the next fall. " I have set
my heart on going to Paris to study my profession, and
hope that father's consent and assistance will be given.
I should be highly gratified to remain nine or ten months
in that place, a city where exists as much science as in
any other in the world, if not more."
After a cruise in the Levant, and a sojourn in Smyrna,
the naturalist came home, arriving in New York near the
end of the year, after a voyage of sixteen months.
30
CHAPTER IV
PREPARATION OF THE " MINERALOGY", 1835-1838
Waiting for Opportunities : A Period of Solicitude — Assistant to Professor
Silliman — The Yale Institute of Natural Science — Preparation of the
Treatise on Mineralogy — Chemical Nomenclature — Letters to Berzelius
— The Various Editions of the System, of Mineralogy — Models of
Crystalline Forms.
THE interval between the cruise on the Mediterranean
and the Exploring Expedition was a period of solici-
tude, — not without important occupations. Fortunately
the wilderness of waiting did not enclose " a slough of
despond." Dana never lost his courage, never swerved
from his purpose. Pallas Athene was constantly whisper-
ing to him, as she did to Odysseus, and inspiring his
enthusiasm. He heard the call to a life of scientific
research, and at the same time he felt the necessity of
securing pecuniary support. His father, a man of busi-
ness with a large dependent family, could not but ask
whether science would yield any income. The son
weighed all the considerations, and thus addressed his
father :
" New Haven, July 27, 1835.
" It is not very pleasant to be myself supported while
my brothers are supporting themselves. But I do not
know how to make it otherwise. I hardly know how to
arrange my plans for the future. I sometimes almost
wish that I had gone into the store, where it appears to
me that I should not have had to have lived a life of so
much doubt and uncertainty as appears now to be my
prospect. The law I cannot take up. I do not feel that
31
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
I have the right kind of ability to succeed in it. A long
apprenticeship I should have to undergo, which would be
perhaps a prelude to continual poverty. The future
would appear to me exceedingly dark were I to under-
take it. Moreover, I should have to change the whole
disposition of my mind, my firmly settled tastes must be
rooted out and thrown away; indeed it appears to me
that it would be working against nature, against the
natural bent of my mind, and would not be unlike at-
tempting to make a fish live out of water.
" Medicine is not so much opposed to my tastes. It
investigates the anatomy of the human system, and the
nature and use of its various organs, etc., — particulars
which belong in some degree to natural history. In-
deed it appears to be closely allied to the natural sciences.
Yet I hardly think I should like the practice, it is so
laborious, and in many instances so disgusting, as it
makes known all the misery and wretchedness in the
world, of which it seems to me we see enough without
hunting for it. Yet I think I should be disposed to take
it up should I desert natural history. And what had I
better do ? Give it up or not ? I have had some thoughts
of spending the next year here, and of going into the
laboratory, and spending the same time there that I
would were I Professor Silliman's assistant. He has
given me the permission."
Presently there came the long-desired invitation from
Professor SiUiman to become his assistant in the chemi-
cal laboratory at New Haven, a post which had before
been held by bright young men with scientific proclivi-
ties, — Sherlock J. Andrews, Benjamin D. Silliman, Burr
Noyes, Charles U. Shepard, and Oliver P. Hubbard.
Amos Eaton, too, had been a student there. This call
was probably the turning-point in Dana's career. It came
just at the right moment, for it established his home
among men of kindred tastes, among opportunities which
were the best that the country then afforded for the pros-
ecution of science. Dana expressed to Professor Silli-
man the opinion that there was no other city in the
country so pleasant for study as New Haven. " The
32
ATTRACTIONS OF NEW HAVEN
numerous attractions it has, its libraries, cabinets of speci-
mens in natural history, and your laboratory, had al-
ready determined me to make it my place of residence
while studying for a profession." Among the advan-
tages, the cabinet of minerals bought from Colonel Gibbs
(already mentioned) must not be forgotten.
The duties of the new position were not arduous, and
they gave the young man both opportunity and leisure
for study. He thus speaks of the place:
'' The duties, however, are quite light, for they consist
mainly in laying out the specimens, geological or min-
eralogical, for the lectures of Professor Silliman, and the
whole does not occupy more than three hours per day.
I find, however, sufficient to occupy the remaining part
of the day, so that I am not compelled to betake myself
to that most laborious method of spending time, idle-
ness."
In those years there was at New Haven an association
of Yalensians which might have been called " the little
Academy, ' ' like that at Munich mentioned in the memoirs
of Louis Agassiz. The Yale Institute of Natural Science,
which afterwards became the Yale Natural History So-
ciety, had been established during Dana's cruise on the
Mediterranean. Its object was declared to be the pro-
motion of the study of nature. A student of medicine
from Brazil, whose name has disappeared from fame, ap-
pears to have been the originator, — J. Francesco Lima,
who took his degree of M.D. in 1839 and soon returned
with his brother to South America. Among the other
members, better known, were Charles U. Shepard, after-
wards distinguished for his work in mineralogy and for
his superb collections of minerals and of meteoric stones;
Edward C. Herrick, already introduced to the reader;
James D. Whelpley, a promising mineralogist; and Ben-
jamin Silliman, Jr., afterwards a professor of chemistry.
Four professors — the elder Silliman and Denison 01m-
' 33
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
sted among them — were curators. William McClure,
one of the earliest investigators of American geology,
sent to the society, from Mexico, a generous gift of five
hundred dollars, and Mr. Buck, of New York, the like
amount, for the purchase of books. After his return from
sea, Dana took his part in the proceedings.
A copy of the constitution of this society, sent by
Herrick to Dana, is worth reprinting, for the very exist-
ence of the association is almost forgotten.
"Article I. — This association shall be called the Yale Institute of
Natural Science.
"Art. II. — The object of this association shall be to promote the pur-
suit and critical investigation of Natural Science, in its various branches.
"Art. III. — Any member of any of the departments of Yale College
may be admitted to this association by a vote of the majority, and any
other person by a vote of three-fourths.
" Art. IV. — Every member of this association shall pledge himself to
engage in the pursuit of some particular branch or branches of Natural
Science, in which he shall make investigations and collections, and transmit
them to the association free of expense. And any person who suffers a
period of three years to elapse, without making any communication to the
association on the branch or branches to which he is thus pledged, shall be
considered as having withdrawn himself from membership, until such
communication be made.
"Art. V. — The Professor of Chemistry, Mineralogy, and Geology ; of
Materia Medica and Therapeutics ; of Anatomy and Physiology ; and of
Natural Philosophy and Astronomy, shall constitute a permanent board
of Curators, and to their trust and disposal shall be committed the collec-
tions in the various branches of Natural History, which may be formed by
the contribution of the members, to be held by the Curators as the property
of the association. They shall also receive and dispose of, according to
their judgment, the written communications of the members.
" Art. VI. — The association shall appoint a Secretary, whose duty shall
be to report the proceedings of the association, keep a list of all the com-
munications and specimens transmitted, and preserve all documents, and do
such other writings as the board of Curators may think necessary. If the
Secretary be obliged by any circumstance to resign in the intermission of
the Medical term, the board may appoint a Secretary pro tempore, until the
next meeting of the association.
" Art. VII. — The senior member present of the board of Curators shall
preside at the meetings, and in the absence of all the Curators the associa-
tion shall appoint a Chairman pro tempore.
34
YALE INSTITUTE OF NATURAL SCIENCE
"Art. VIII. — Each member of this association shall contribute trien-
nially five dollars, until he shall have made three pecuniary contributions,
to constitute a fund for the association ; except those who when elected
were not members of any department of Yale College, of whom shall be
required only the first triennial fee. And any member who shall neglect
payment, shall forfeit his membership, until the said payment be made.
All the funds shall be entrusted to the senior member of the board of
Curators.
' ' Art. IX. — There shall be annually, as soon as the funds will admit,
three premiums offered for the encouragement of scientific merit, viz.,
thirty dollars for the most valuable communication made to the association
during the year, twenty dollars for the second in merit, and ten for the
third, to be awarded by the board of Curators, and presented in scientific
books or instruments.
"Art. X. — There shall be a catalogue published triennially containing
the names of all those who have fulfilled the conditions of membership,
with an account of the communications received from each, and a summary
of the affairs of the association.
"Art. XI. — The annual meeting of the association shall be held on the
last Wednesday in November, at which time the Curators shall report on
the affairs of the association generally ; the association shall then also elect
a Secretary and proceed to the admission of members. Other meetings
may be held by the call of the Curators, and may be adjourned to any day
by two-thirds of the members present.
" Art. XII. — There shall be an address on some subject connected with
the objects of this association, delivered at such place as the association
may appoint, on the first Wednesday in January, by an appointment made
one year previous.
" Art. XIII. — Every member of the association shall be entitled to a
copy of each of its published documents, which it shall be the duty of the
Secretary to forward to them.
" Art. XIV.— This Constitution may be amended by a vote of two-thirds
of the association at any annual meeting."
This was the period in which Dana produced the treatise
on Mineralogy, which was augmented and revised at in-
tervals during the remainder of his life. As this was the
first and perhaps the most original of all his writings,
everything which throws light upon its origin is of in-
terest. I remember well how anxious Dana was at a
certain time to see the first and the last edition of Lin-
nseus, in order that he might trace from their sources the
conclusions of that student of the system of nature. So
35
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
whether we are mineralogists or observers of the growth
of a mind, the story is instructive. Take the world over,
I suppose that his work on Mineralogy is better known
than any of his other writings.
We know that as a schoolboy he began to collect the
rocks and minerals of Oneida County. In college he had
engaged in similar work. During the cruise he was on
the alert for the discovery of new facts, and for the
further consideration of those that were not new to him.
Thus he wrote to Professor Silliman, December 29, 1834:
" My cruise in the Levant was quite an interesting
one, but not so much so as it would have been had we
not, on our arrival at Smyrna, found the plague there.
On account of it, it was not possible for me to visit Con-
stantinople, a place I had much desired to see. This,
however, led to my discovering an interesting locality of
minerals near Vourla, twenty miles from Smyrna, where
we spent most of our time while in the Archipelago. It
was a locality of yellow jasper and common opal, both
in situ. The rock was a lime-rock. Frequently these
two minerals were disseminated the one through the
other. The query arose in my mind, whether their situa-
tion did not correspond with that of the hornstone in one
of our lime-rocks (the corniferous of Eaton). The opal
often appeared to degenerate into a mineral between flint
and hornstone. I afterwards found the lime-rock at
Athens to contain veins of red hornstone, but the fact,
the limestone being very nearly the same, convinced me
that the above supposition was in reality a fact. I will
hand you specimens on my arrival in New Haven, and
receive, if you please, your opinion with regard to them."
In the notes which were previously mentioned, a
record of his studies while at sea, and of his observations
on the geology of Minorca, has been preserved. Thus
on this Mediterranean voyage, when only twenty-one and
twenty-two years old, the future zoologist, mineralogist,
and geologist was pursuing, without a living teacher, his
graduate studies, and engaging, without a personal guide,
36
ORIGIN OF THE TREATISE ON MINERALOGY
or a fellowship, or the aid of a friend, in original investi-
gation. How many young men with all the apparatus
and incitements of a university have done as well ?
The system of chemical nomenclature devised by Dana
was appended to Professor Shepard's Mineralogy, pub-
lished in May, 1835. Fortunately, there is a letter from
Dana to his father which tells of this recognition and its
encouragement.
" New Haven, April 13, 1835.
" Since my arrival here things have happened which I
had hardly expected, a knowledge of which will probably
show you that in my determination to spend the spring
and summer here, I was guided by a wish to occupy my
time to the most advantage. As one thing, I refer to
my success in obtaining a place in Silliman's Journal of
Science for an article of mine, that, but for the encourage-
ment of a scientific person here and his entire approval of
it, would probably have remained a long time unpub-
lished. This person was so much pleased with the system
exposed in it that he spoke of introducing it into his
Mineralogy, when he publishes a second edition. The
first is now nearly ready for sale. You remember that I
was writing for several days at home. That subject also
has much pleased this same person (Mr. Shepard,* for-
merly assistant to Professor Silliman), and so much so that
he has made use of its principles in a catalogue of minerals
to be appended to his forthcoming Mineralogy. He will,
of course, give credit to whom credit is due. He also
encourages me in writing on other subjects ; and probably
in the course of the coming year there will be other
articles, beside the one referred to above, to appear in the
Journal of Science. That article will be printed in the
July number.
" I do not speak of these things from pride or vanity
— far from it — but to let you know the advantages I
derive from my residence in this city. At Utica my time
would have been entirely misspent. I there could have
had none of the books which I have found absolutely
♦Professor Charles U. Shepard, afterwards of Charleston, S. C, and
Amherst.
37
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
necessary in studying the different subjects I have had
under consideration, none of the information I have de-
rived from consulting others, none of their advice, no
cabinets to consult, etc. Besides, there is much ad-
vantage in being with those who are attending to the
same studies with yourself. You seem to be carried
easily on by the current ; whereas if alone, others about
you treating your favorite pursuits with entire neglect, it
is almost like striving against the current.
" I have heard respecting Mr. Hubbard, who is now
lecturing at Middletown, that every prospect is in favor
of his being appointed professor in the Wesleyan College
at that place. The doubt with regard to my obtaining
the situation I desire appears to be gradually removing.
I cannot, however, feel certain of my success till I hear
of his actual appointment."
An article upon the subject of chemical nomenclature
was offered to Professor Silliman, who refused it on the
ground that " it would not be interesting to the generality
of readers." But the author of it was not in the least
dismayed by this return of his paper. He translated the
manuscript into Latin, and sent it, with the following
letter, to Berzelius, the Swedish chemist and physicist,
who was then, in his fifty-sixth year, at the height of his
reputation.*
TO PROFESSOR J. J. BERZELIUS OF STOCKHOLM
" New Haven, November ii, 1835.
" I have taken the liberty to send you the accompany-
ing manuscript on chemical nomenclature, being anxious
of obtaining the criticisms of one so distinguished in the
world of science. Your interest in the subject will ex-
cuse me, I doubt not, for presuming to trouble you with a
perusal of it. I appear to myself to be almost guilty of
presumption in attempting to write on a subject which
has received the attention of one so much more capable.
But it is to be expected that some improvements should
* It is worth noting that some twenty years afterwards the name of
Berzelius was given to a society of students, still flourishing, in the Yale
Scientific School, now the Sheffield Scientific School, at New Haven.
38
LETTER TO BERZELIUS
have become apparent, since the science is so rapidly
advancing, and particularly as the publication of your
system took place on the eve of the very important dis-
covery that chlorids, bromids, etc., are to be ranked with
oxyds as bases, and that each class of bases has its corre-
sponding class of acids, with which they form correspond-
ing classes of salts.
" The few principles which are peculiar to the nomen-
clature offered in the manuscript occurred to me while
reading the article on the same subject in your late work
on chemistry, of which you will see evidence in the gen-
eral adoption of the most important parts of your own
system, and in the identity of the nomenclature of a good
part of chemical compounds. One of its principal pecu-
liarities is the introduction of the termination acids for
electro-negative compounds. The impossibility of mak-
ing the termination id distinguish an electro-negative
compound in every instance, on account of its general
adoption in a contrary sense in the nomenclature of the
compounds of oxygen, led me to attempt to obtain one
less objectionable. The termination add, considering it,
as heretofore used, a contraction of oxacid (which was
evidently understood by it), appears to be in general use;
and it seemed to me that by extending it to the electro-
negative compound of chlorine, bromine, etc., I was but
extending an old principle in the common nomenclature.
Thus we have the names, hydric chloracid, stannic sulph-
acid, etc., instead of hydric chlorid, stannic sulphid, etc.
" This is my apology for differing from one to whom
the science is much indebted for its late rapid advance-
ment, the mention of whose name always infuses into me
feelings of respect and admiration.
" In the application of the law for the use of minerals,
I have adhered to the plan of expressing by them the
proportion of the two compounds contained, without
reference to the electro-negative element. I rather in-
cline to the method, as it appears to be somewhat more
simple than any other and to possess equal advantages.
The law will, however, remain the same in whatever way
applied.
" The system of nomenclature here proposed, such as
it is, I offer for your consideration, and any criticisms
from you would be gratefully received. It has been my
39
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
wish, before making it public, to consult one of the foun-
tain sources of chemical knowledge, and certainly there
is no one in whose judgment I would place more confi-
dence than in that of Berzelius.
" If it meets with your approbation, it is at your dis-
posal. It would be a gratification to me could it be pub-
lished in some European journal."
Fearing, in those days of uncertain mails, that this
letter might miscarry, a second copy of the article was
sent about two months later, with another letter.
TO PROFESSOR BERZELIUS
" New Haven, Jan. i6, 1836.
" My anxiety to receive the opinion and criticisms of
one of the oracles of chemical science has induced me to
address to you a second copy of my manuscript on chem-
ical nomenclature, supposing that some one of the acci-
dents to which packages travelling so great a distance are
liable might possibly have befallen that sent with the last
number of Professor Silliman's Journal of Science. To
this I wish a safe and speedy voyage.
" Your knowledge of the rapidly advancing state of the
science will induce you, I doubt not, to excuse the pre-
sumption I appear to be guilty of in writing on a subject
which but a few years since engaged the attention of one
so much more capable. The few peculiarities of the
system here proposed occurred to me while reading the
article on the subject in your late work on chemistry, as
will appear in the general adoption of some of the most
important parts of your own system, and in the identity
of the nomenclature of a great part of chemical com-
pounds."
After a long delay, which was fully explained, a full
and considerate reply was received from Berzelius, which
will be given later.
At Utica, in the latter part of August, 1836, during
the vacation of Yale College, Dana wrote off about fifty
pages on crystallography, intending it, as he says, merely
40
LATER EDITIONS OF THE MINERALOGY
for future reference. On returning to New Haven, he
was induced, probably by Herrick, to continue and com-
plete a treatise on the subject and connect it with a
system of mineralogy. The System of Mineralogy and
Crystallography went to press about the middle of De-
cember, and was published in the following spring. It
was at once received with favor in Europe as well as in
America. The London Athenceum, for example, declared
it to be highly creditable to the laborious zeal and science
of the author, and equally useful to England and the
United States.
The further growth of this standard work, which, by
its successive revisions, has held its place among the chief
authorities in mineralogical science, has been thus de-
scribed in the American Journal of Science by the younger
Professor Dana. He became, with Professor Brush, a
most serviceable collaborator, and prepared the sixth
edition of his father's work (1892).
" The first edition of the System of Mineralogy was
issued, as has been stated, in 1837, when the author was
only twenty-four years old. This large volume shows a
close study of the great works of Hauy, Mohs, and Nau-
mann, and of others who had preceded. It is, however,
more than an industrious compilation from earlier authors,
particularly as regards the chapters on crystallogeny
and mathematical crystallography. The classification
adopted is the so-called natural system, the serious
shortcomings of which were later fully appreciated. The
nomenclature attempted, devised \>y him to suit this
classification, was on the dual Latin plan ' so advanta-
geously pursued in botany and zoology. ' The second edi-
tion of the System (1844) preserved these features, but in
a supplement a classification based on chemical principles
is proposed, and this, further developed, is adopted in
the third edition (1850), while the Latin nomenclature is
abandoned.
" In connection with this fundamental change, it seems
worth while to quote from the preface of this edition,
41
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
since what is said here was so characteristic of the author's
attitude of mind to scientific truth in general.
" ' . . . To change is always seeming fickleness.
But not to change with the advance of science is worse ;
it is persistence in error; and, therefore, notwithstanding
the former adoption of what has been called the natural-
history system, and the pledge to its support given by the
author, in supplying it with a Latin nomenclature, the
v/hole system, its classes, orders, genera, and Latin
names, has been rejected. . . .'
" It was in the fourth edition of the Mineralogy, in
1854, that the chemical classification, essentially as now
understood, took its full place. In this edition, more-
over, the other parts of the work were put in new and
better form, containing the result of much thought on
crystallogeny and homoeomorphism. The fifth edition
(1868), which includes only the description of species, is
a monumental work, — the most complete treatise, indeed,
that had ever been attempted. In it the classification
was still further developed, the nomenclature simplified
and systematized, and in connection with the latter sub-
ject an exhaustive review of the entire mineralogical
literature from the beginning was made in order to un-
ravel the vexed questions of the history and priority of
mineral names. This last feature of the volume was a
labor involving great patience and skill. It was in recog-
nition of this work that he received the degree of Doctor
of Philosophy from the University of Munich in 1870.
In the sixth edition of the System (1892), by his son, he
took a lively interest, but was unable to co-operate in
the labor actively in consequence of the condition of his
health ; even the reading of the final proofs, though at-
tempted, had to be soon given up.
" Besides the System, he also issued a small work, called
the Manual of Mineralogy, which has passed through four
editions (1848, 1857, 1878, 1887). The pages of this
Journal also contain, particularly down to 1868, many
papers on mineralogical topics ; his last paper in this field
was published in 1874. The subjects that interested him
were, for the most part, those of a general and philosophi-
cal nature, such as questions of classification, theories of
crystallogeny, and the morphological relations of species.
In the points connected with the descriptions of individual
42
MODELS OF CRYSTALS
species he took less interest, though his observations here
were numerous and important."
Before leaving Utica for his duties in New Haven,
Dana made a set of crystalline forms, in glass, and he
found it easy (as he says) with this material to represent
the primitive form within the secondary. About the
same time, he prepared an article on crystallographic
symbols, which was published in Silliman's Journal.
He also made out a nomenclature for minerals, analogous
to those in use in other branches of natural history,
which was read before the Lyceum of Natural History in
New York, and ordered to be printed in their Annals.
Further progress in the making of models is shown by
the following letter.
TO HIS SISTER HARRIET
" New Haven, Ct., February, 1836.
" Mr. Shepard, some five or six months since, asked
me whether I would not wish to propose myself as a can-
didate for one of two colleges, Dartmouth, N. H., or
Middlebury, Vt., and I beheve my name was sent to the
former, although I hardly assented to it, and afterwards
expressed to him my disinclination to enter on the duties
of professor till some more preparation had been made.
I am glad that circumstances are as they are. Indeed
I think I have reason to be pleased that I have not been
engaged as Silliman's assistant this winter.
" One important thing I have accomplished which I
think will be of great service to me, although I presume
it would not appear to you so important. I refer to the
reconstruction of my set of crystalline forms of glass.
My old ones are so inferior that I have entirely discarded
them. I have also made another set in conjunction with
a person lately appointed professor at Bristol College,
Pennsylvania, who has been working with me the few
weeks past, and this set has been sent to a store in New
York for sale. I did wish to find some one who would
engage in making them, agreeable to Professor SilHman's
43
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
suggestion, and in fact tried one person, but this person
made out so poorly that it was soon given up. A price
is set upon them that will pay for all the trouble of
making them. There are thirty-seven in all for one
hundred dollars."
44
CHAPTER V
THE UNITED STATES EXPLORING EXPEDITION,
1 838-1 842
Its Projector, John N. Reynolds— Progress of the Plan and its Final Adop-
tion — Organization — The Naval Officers and the Scientific Corps-
Dana's Appointment — Final Instructions and Departure from Hampton
Roads,
WE are now brought to consider an enterprise which
did great credit to this country and had an im-
portant influence upon the life of Professor Dana. The
United States Exploring Expedition, under Captain
Wilkes, made its investigation of the coasts and islands
of the Pacific Ocean between 1838 and 1842. This im-
portant cruise has so far passed from memory that it is
quite worth while to give a considerable space to its his-
tory, with which Dana's biography is closely interwoven.
The father of this project was John N. Reynolds, — who
began to advocate the exploration of the South Seas as
early as 1827, soon after the appearance of Admiral
Krusenstern's great work, in advance of the return of
Captain Beechey, and four years before the departure of
the Beagle and Adventure, under Captain Fitzroy. Little
is remembered respecting the life and character of the
enthusiastic projector. His name has dropped out of
the roll of famous Americans, or, strictly speaking, it has
never been there,— and yet he deserves commemoration
because for a decade and more he was indefatigable in
promoting this great naval undertaking. It is therefore
45
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
worth while to place on record the particulars I have
gathered, although they are so imperfect that we may
almost apply to their subject the words of the dying
Keats, " Here lies one whose name was writ in water."
Reynolds was a resident of Ohio, but whether a native
of that State I have not learned. He wrote a preface
(as Allibone has pointed out) to a curious book by a
school-teacher of Miami County, Ohio, — Georgii Wash-
ingtonii Vita, Francisco Glass Conscripta, a review of
which by Professor Kingsley is not entirely forgotten by
the antiquaries in New Haven. His literary reputation
rests upon a narrative of the voyage of the Potomac,
various short articles on South Sea exploration, and some
nautical sketches which he wrote for the Knickerbocker
Magazine. We learn from his own words that in early
life he had imbibed a relish, perhaps accidentally, for
books of voyages and travel when he had not even seen
the ocean.
" Though a dweller in the western forests," he says,
" I could reason from effects to causes, and needed only
the roughly sketched history of the early settlement of
our country to convince me that the maritime enterprise
of our ancestors was an important element in the founda-
tion of our subsequent power ; and that whatever tended
to increase the stimulus to exertion, and extend the field
of commercial research, was to add more to our national
resources than to discover mines of diamonds, or heap our
treasuries with coined gold."
After much preliminary agitation, Mr. Reynolds, on the
22d of January, 1828, addressed a letter to the Speaker
of the House, upon the subject of a naval expedition,
and he accompanied the letter with memorials from in-
fluential persons in New York, Virginia, North Carolina,
and South Carolina. He also gave in full a preamble and
resolution adopted by the House of Delegates in Mary-
land. This led to favorable expressions from the House
46
UNITED STATES EXPLORING EXPEDITION
Committee on Naval Affairs, and from the Secretary of
the Navy, Mr. Southard, and this all resulted in a request
from the House of Representatives to the President, that
he would send " one of our small vessels to the Pacific
Ocean and South Seas, to ascertain their true situation
and description."
Apparently because of the unwillingness of Congress
to make an adequate appropriation, the final orders were
not given, although much preliminary work was done,
including the selection, by the Navy Department, of as-
tronomers, naturalists, and others " who were willing to
encounter the trials " proposed. The Peacock was chosen
for the voyage, officers were designated, and orders were
given for instruments and books. In the summer of
1828, Reynolds visited the towns of New England inter-
ested in whaling and in East India commerce, and col-
lected from log-books, journals, and charts, as well as
from conversation with returned navigators, many signifi-
cant facts, which he communicated to the Secretary of the
Navy, as the basis of future investigations. Neverthe-
less, the official proceedings halted.
Although the persistent advocate of the scheme con-
stantly urged the importance of protecting the whaling
vessels of the United States, he was large-minded enough
to advocate also, with energy and intelligence, " a naval
enterprise or voyage of discovery to be fitted out in the
best manner, with every scientific appliance, at the public
expense, for the sole purpose of increasing our know-
ledge of the Pacific and Southern oceans, where our
commerce is now carried on . . . far beyond the
bounds of ordinary protection. " He says that the friends
of his project believe " that an expedition could scarcely
fail in making discoveries of some interest, by finding
new islands, or increasing our knowledge of those already
laid on the maps; and that commerce might be benefited
by surveying the coasts frequented by our hardy fisher-
47
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
men, upon which they frequently suffer shipwreck, with
many privations and loss of property." He suggests
that " new channels might be opened for commercial
pursuits, especially in animal fur, — a trade out of which
an immense revenue accrues to the government, and
which greatly augments our national strength by increas-
ing the number of our most efficient seamen."
Disappointed in his efforts with the government, Rey-
nolds sailed from New York, in 1829, for the Pacific
Ocean in the brig Annawan, Captain N. B. Palmer, after
whom " Palmer's Land " was named by the Russian
commander Stanjykowitch. After long journeys in
Chili and the regions southward, Reynolds happened to
be in Valparaiso when Commodore John Downes arrived
at that port, in the United States frigate Potomac, fresh
from an engagement with the Malays at Quallah Battoo
on the coast of Sumatra. The Commodore invited
Reynolds to become his private secretary and afterward
to write the history of the voyage from its beginning in
1831 until its close in 1834. The narrative of this cruise
appeared soon after the frigate's return, and its pages,
illustrated by noteworthy engravings, are still worth read-
ing. Here and there appear allusions to what the Ameri-
can navy might do for discovery and exploration as well
as for the promotion of American commerce.*
During the prolonged absence of Mr. Reynolds, there
was a pause in the agitation, but it began again as soon
as he returned to this country. In the winter of 1834,
the East India Marine Society, of Salem, sent up a
memorial to Congress, the Legislature of Rhode Island
also spoke in favor of the project, and many other mani-
* The curious reader may consult the Voyage of the Potomac, by J. N.
Reynolds (New York : Harpers, 1838), and an interesting volume (to which
my attention was called by Captain James S. Biddle, U. S. N., of Phila-
delphia) entitled Address on the Subject of a Surveying and Exploring
Expedition to the Pacific Ocean and South Seas, copies of which are owned
by the Philadelphia Library Company and Yale University.
48
UNITED STATES EXPLORING EXPEDITION
festations of public opinion were sent to Washington.
At length the urgency of ten years bore fruit, and on
March 21, 1836, the Naval Committee of the Senate re-
ported a bill to provide for an exploring expedition,
which was discussed and amended and finally passed by
both branches of Congress. It soon received the Presi-
dent's approval. Orders were given to have the proper
vessels fitted out with the least possible delay.
The history is thus briefly told in a report to the United
States Senate of the Joint Committee on the Library,
presented in June, 1846, by Hon. James A. Pearce of
Maryland :
" As early as the year 1827, memorials were addressed
to Congress by the inhabitants of various States in the
Union, praying that an expedition might be fitted out
for the purpose of exploration and discovery in the
southern polar regions, and the islands and coasts of the
Pacific seas. Similar memorials were presented from
time to time; favorable reports were made, and bills
were passed in one or the other house of Congress; but
no law on the subject was enacted till the year 1836.
Congress was then satisfied that, in the seas which it was
proposed to explore, the whale fishery alone gave em-
ployment to more than one-tenth of all our tonnage,
manned by twelve thousand men, and requiring capital
then estimated at twelve millions of dollars; and that the
annual loss of property, upon the islands and reefs not
laid down upon any chart, was equal to the expense of
the expedition and surveys requested."
Then came, in the summer of 1836, a series of excel-
lent suggestions from some of the foremost men of the
country. Commodore Ap-Catesby Jones spoke in strong
terms of Reynolds's fitness for the voyage. Professor
Charles Anthon congratulated him on being appointed
" Corresponding Secretary of the Expedition." Caleb
Cushing and James K. Paulding gave their approbation
to the project; Benjamin Silliman, James E. De Kay,
49
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Joseph Delafield, and Asa Gray pointed out the wants
of science ; and Josiah W. Gibbs, John Pickering, and
Charles Pickering wrote in behalf of anthropology and
philology. The co-operation of the American Philo-
sophical Society in Philadelphia, the East India Marine
Society in Salem, and the Lyceum of Natural History
in New York was assured. So the plans were developed,
and yet innumerable and vexatious obstacles delayed the
equipment and departure of the squadron. Changes in
the command, changes in the ships, resignations from the
scientific corps, divided counsels, and other unexpected
difficulties were disheartening. More than once there was
danger that the project would be abandoned, and perhaps
this would have been the unfortunate result if the Presi-
dent, Martin Van Buren, had not been its firm and con-
trolling supporter. More than two years were passed in
preliminaries. The Secretary of War, Joel R. Poinsett,
of Charleston, S. C, who was greatly interested in the
establishment of a national museum in Washington ; the
Secretary of the Navy, Mahlon Dickerson ; and especially
his successor, James K. Paulding of New York, the well-
known man of letters, had the chief responsibility for the
arrangements. Albert Gallatin, an authority in the lan-
guages of the North American Indians, compiled a vocab-
ulary as a basis of inquiry and of comparison with the
tongues of primitive people. More noteworthy still,
the renowned Russian navigator. Admiral Krusenstern,
who had been to the South Seas in the first decade of
the century, to establish relations between Russia and Ja-
pan, drew up a memorandum of desiderata, having special
reference to the completion of the island hydrography.
There was some delay in securing the right commander.
Commodore T. Ap-Catesby Jones (1789-1858) was first
appointed, but was obliged by a severe illness to give up
going. Later (in 1842) he became Commander of the
Pacific Squadron. Captain (afterward Rear-Admiral)
SO
CAPTAIN CHARLES WILKES, COMMANDER
Francis H. Gregory (1789-1866) was then thought of, —
a man of wide experience and great bravery, whose later
days were spent in New Haven. Captain (afterward
Commodore) Lawrence Kearney (i 789-1 868) had the
subject under consideration. He was subsequently in
command of the East India Squadron, and visited the
Hawaiian Islands in 1843.
The final choice was Lieutenant Charles Wilkes,
U. S. N. (1798-1877), a native of New York, then forty
years old, — the age at which Captain Cook set sail on the
first of his great voyages, three years less than the age
of Bougainville when he left St. Malo. Wilkes was a
brave and resolute man, studious, severe, upright, with-
out conciliation, inclined to be arbitrary in minor matters
as well as in those that were important, often at variance
with some of his officers, and yet, as Dana wrote, on the
whole " an excellent commander." " Perhaps no bet-
ter could have been found in the navy at that time."
He was sincerely desirous of promoting the scientific
objects of the expedition, and by taste and education was
particularly interested in nautical astronomy and hydro-
graphy, much'more than in natural history or anthropol-
ogy. The hope of discovering an Antarctic continent
fascinated him, and the distinction which was won by the
expedition in that discovery and in the survey of islands
and shores unknown was due chiefly to his skill, patience,
energy, and thoroughness. During his previous residence
in Washington he had maintained a private observatory in
his garden, and it is said that this apparently laudable
proceeding was stopped by some higher authority on the
ground that a naval observatory was unconstitutional.
In the civil war, nearly twenty years after the return
of the expedition, Wilkes acquired a popular reputation
while in command of the San Jacinto (in 1861), by his
seizure of Mason and Slidell from the British packet-boat
Trent, when they were crossing the Atlantic as diplomatic
SI
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
agents of the Southern Confederacy. Such is fame. The
incident of an hour brought more renown than four years
of exploration. Wilkes, the bold navigator, is known to
a few; Wilkes, the gallant captor, to every one. For
example, in more than one recent biographical notice, his
expedition to the South Seas is passed by with a bare
allusion, while his story of the seizure of the Trent is
fully given. Wilkes rose to the rank of Rear-Admiral, and
died in Washington, February 8, 1877, at the age of
seventy-nine.
Next to Wilkes stood the commander of the Peacock,
Lieutenant William L. Hudson (1794-1862), senior to
Wilkes by four years in life and two years in service.
On account of this seniority he was at first unwilling to
accept an appointment under Wilkes, but he yielded to
the urgency of the government and to the counsel of
Capt. C. G. Ridgeley, well known at that time for his
high sense of honor and for his excellent judgment.
During the long voyage. Captain Hudson encountered,
in the Peacock, extraordinary dangers, — ^but everywhere
showed himself skilful and brave. After the second Ant-
arctic voyage, full of perils and escapes, Wilkes placed
on record a generous recognition of Hudson's coolness,
decision, and seamanship. " Officers and men," he says,
in the perilous situations where they were placed, were
worthy of the highest encomiums." Again, after the
wreck of the Peacock, at the mouth of the Columbia
River, the commander of the squadron bore testimony,
in his official report, to the coolness, presence of mind,
unremitted exertions, and noble example of Captain
Hudson, to whose efforts must be attributed the safety
of all his officers and men. He was the last person to
leave the wreck, and on his landing at Baker's Bay he
was received with three hearty cheers from his officers
and crew.* In later life. Captain Hudson was distin-
* C. Wilkes to the Secretary of the Navy, October 30, 1841.
52
CAPTAINS HUDSON AND LONG
guished as the commander of the Niagara when it was
engaged in the laying of the Atlantic cable. Dana saw
much of this officer, for he was attached to the Peacock
during most of the voyage, and was upon it at the time
of its wreck.
Lieutenant (afterward Captain) Andrew K. Long
commanded the store-ship Relief, which encountered
great perils in the Cape Horn seas. Dana was tempo-
rarily on board of the vessel at this time.
Lieutenant-Commander Cadwalader Ringgold (1802-
1867) (afterward Rear- Admiral) was in charge of the brig
Porpoise. He was a native of Maryland, who entered the
navy as a midshipman and saw active service in the West
Indies, under Commodore Porter, whose " mosquito
fleet " had been engaged in the suppression of piracy.
He was an active and useful man upon the exploring
expedition, and ten years after its return was placed in
command of the North Pacific Exploring Expedition, —
a position that, from ill-health, he was soon obliged to
resign.
The formation of the scientific corps was no easy task.
I have not ascertained how it happened that Dana came
to be considered as a member, — very likely it was due
to Dr. Asa Gray.
" In August, 1836," Dana says, " Mr. J. N. Reynolds
arrived in New Haven and consulted me in relation to
joining an expedition about to be fitted up for the Ant-
arctic seas and Pacific Ocean. I gave no definite answer
at the time, but soon after wrote from Utica, declining
the situation. Afterwards, on solicitation from Dr. Asa
Gray, who had been selected as botanist, I concluded to
be a candidate for the situation offered."
In the following January, a commission came from the
Secretary of the Navy, appointing Dana a member of the
scientific corps, with a salary of $2500 per annum, and
53
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
one ration while on duty. The pay would begin July 4,
1837. He was to be the mineralogist and geologist.
Of course many preparations must be made for a jour-
ney so prolonged. Two or three articles, read before the
Yale Natural History Society, were prepared for publica-
tion. The treatise on Mineralogy, which was soon to
establish his reputation, was carried through the press.
He arranged for the care of his cabinet of minerals, his
collection of plants, and his books on mineralogy, and, as
if he were mindful that he might never return, he drew
up six pages of personal memoranda respecting his scien-
tific work between 1833 and 1837. Meanwhile uncertain-
ties multiplied respecting the organization and departure
of the expedition. " I have been anxiously looking for
news," he writes to his brother John, in June, 1837,
" but as yet nothing has come. When we shall go is
as utterly unknown to me as it is to yourself. Indeed
there are some floating reports and predictions that the
expedition will not sail at all. But I do not place much
confidence in them. There has been so much opposi-
tion to the expedition, and so many unfavorable re-
ports spread about by its opponents, that I consider the
whole of them as their fabrication." This doubt con-
tinued till the spring of 1838. " It is now probable that
we shall not go before August," he writes. " Part of
the scientific corps will probably be cut off; but there is
no probability that I shall be one of the number." The
nearer the departure, the more the excitement of prepara-
tion.
Frequent letters to Herrick give the details of Dana's
occupations. For example, he meets Professor Joseph
Henry, just returned from a European tour, and he goes
to Philadelphia for conference with his scientific colleagues
in respect to the distribution of their duties. Herrick
insists upon his watching for shooting stars at the time of
their recurrence in November, and Dana watches on the
54
ATTRACTIONS OF THE SOUTH SEAS
roof of the Astor House, in New York, sending a full
report of what he saw to his astronomical correspondent
in New Haven. At one time he writes that he is detained
in New York by his interest in studying a parasitic crusta-
cean, Argulus, which attaches itself to the body of the
codfish. Everything indicates enthusiasm, energy, ver-
satility, and patience.
It is evident that all the powers of the young naturalist
were aroused by his new opportunities and responsibili-
ties. This was, as every one knows, a most interesting
period in the progress of geography, the epoch of island
surveys following the epoch of early circumnavigation.
Great discoveries of continental coast-lines and of ocean
archipelagoes had been made during the first decades of
the century, so that the cruise of the Vincennes and the
Peacock would not be in regions wholly undescribed ; at
the same time, vast tracts of the Pacific were still unex-
plored, more accurate information was required in respect
to places which had already been visited, and there were
opportunities for unlimited researches in the animal and
vegetable kingdoms, and respecting the geology. The
suspected existence of an Antarctic continent excited
boundless curiosity. Moreover, the island world was
coming under Christian influences and European suprem-
acy; missionaries and traders were securing stations.
Civilization had entered Oceana. The day had dawned
when travellers in search of adventures, invalids in quest
of health, and novelists seeking inspiration were to be
attracted by the charms of these distant archipelagoes.
A writer like Robert Louis Stevenson, an artist like La-
farge, a novelist like Pierre Loti, an " American Loti "
like Charles W. Stoddard, had not yet appeared. But
while the United States Expedition was at sea, Richard
H. Dana, Jr., a distant kinsman of James D. Dana, had
uttered " a voice from the forecastle," a narrative of
Two Years Before the Mast, between 1837 and 1839,
55
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
and Herman Melville had written of his adventurous ex-
periences in the Marquesas, Omoo, and Typee, as early
as 1841. Already the statesmen of England, France,
Russia, and the United States were aware of the commer-
cial and strategic importance of the lands newly discov-
ered between America and Asia, and they were watching
each other's proceedings with anxious and jealous eyes.
The opening of Japan to European civilization was
absolutely unforeseen. Nobody in his wildest dreams
imagined that before the end of the century Pago-Pago
would be a naval rendezvous for the American navy,
that Hawaii would be annexed to the United States,
and that the flag of the Union would float victoriously
in the Philippines and Ladrones.
About a year before the embarkation, the anticipated
distribution of scientific work was thus reported by Dana
to Herrick (Philadelphia, August, 1837):
" The zoologists have had some difficulties in settling
their different departments among themselves, but the
disputes on this subject are now about brought to a
close. It has been decided that entomology, arachnol-
ogy, and crustaceology go to Mr. Randall of Boston,
who is a young man, not more than twenty-two or
twenty-three years of age, scarcely bearded, but I be-
lieve a good entomologist. The Entomostraca and
Hydrachnella I have been requested to attend to, and
probably I shall take them under my charge. Mr.
Couthouy of Boston takes the subjects conchology and
actinology ; Dr. Coates of this place, comparative anatomy
and entozoa; Mr. Peale, ornithology; Mr. Pickering,
ichthyology ; and Peale and Pickering, mammalogy.
Dr. Eights of Albany will take the organic remains,
which I resigned, as it seemed to meet with his wishes,
and to be desired by the corps. Dr. Gray, you know,
is botanist; Hale, philologist; Darly, portrait-painter;
Drayton, draughtsman."
As late as July, 1838, uncertainty rested on the organi-
56
THE SCIENTIFIC CORPS
zation of the scientific work. Dana wrote to Herrick from
Washington :
" The corps will consist of those I named to you.
Randall in all probability will not go ; and Hale may not.
You know I had some doubts about myself when I left
you at New Haven. I have since found that Gray,
although he has handed in his resignation, will consent
to go; and as this removes my greatest objection I have
no reason for further hesitation. Gray held out for
some time after arrival here, but was at last persuaded to
be satisfied with the arrangements and general pl3.n of the
expedition."
In Julian Hawthorne's biography of Nathaniel Haw-
thorne (vol. i., p. 162) it appears that the latter desired
to go as " historiographer."
The roster was at last completed, and here are the
names of the savants and artists, and their official desig-
nations, as recorded by Captain Wilkes in his final report.
On the " Vincennes"
Charles Pickering, Naturalist.
Joseph Drayton, Artist.
William D. Brackenridge, Assistant, Botanist.
John G. Brown, Mathematical Instrument Maker.
John W. W. Dyes, Assistant Taxidermist.
Joseph P. Couthouy, Naturalist. Left at Sydney and detached at Hon-
olulu, November, 1840.
On the ' ' Peacock "
(Wrecked July 18, 1841)
James D. Dana, Mineralogist.
T. R. Peale, Naturalist.
Horatio Hale, Philologist.
r. L. Davenport, Interpreter.
On the "Relief
William Rich, Botanist. Joined Peacock at Callao and Vincennes at San
Francisco.
Alfred T. Agate, Artist. Joined Peacock at Callao and Vincennes at
San Francisco,
57
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
The names should also be given here of the chaplain,
Rev. Jared L. Elliott, and of those who were, for differ-
ent periods, members of the medical staff, viz. : Drs.
Edward Gilchrist, John L. Fox, J. S. Whittle, J. F.
Sickles, Silas Holmes, James C. Palmer, and C. T. Cuil-
lon. Dr. Holmes had been a classmate of Dana's in his
undergraduate course at Yale. Henry Eld, one of the
midshipmen who achieved distinction in hydrography,
was likewise from New Haven. Soon after the voyage
he became a lieutenant, and died in 1850.
Some of Dana's scientific colleagues must now be in-
troduced to the reader. The oldest and by far the most
distinguished of them was Charles Pickering, M.D.
(1805-1878), a native of Pennsylvania, a grandson of the
statesman Timothy Pickering, and a member of the class
of 1823 in Harvard College, whose previous and subse-
quent writings were largely devoted to the geographical
distribution of plants, animals, and men. For many years
of his youth he was an active member of the Academy
of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. In the prosecu-
tion of such studies, after his return from the South
Seas, he visited India and eastern Africa. Dana, in one
of his notes, speaks of him as " a man of very exact
observation and measured words."
After Dr. Pickering's death, in the seventy-third year
of his age, a very remarkable work of his, to which the
last sixteen years of his life had been devoted, was pub-
lished in Boston, under the supervision of Mrs. Pickering.
It is a quarto volume of twelve hundred pages, devoted
to the Chronological History of Plants : Man's Record of
his Own Existence Illustrated through their Names, Uses,
and Companionship. It is a monument of the author's
extraordinary industry and learning. Even the elaborate
index, which renders useful this vast accumulation of
facts, was the work of his own hand. As an introduction
to it, three biographical notices are printed, by Rev.
58
THE SCIENTIFIC CORPS
J. H. Morison, Dr. W. S. W. Ruschenberger, and Profes-
sor Asa Gray. From the memoir last named a citation
is here made.
" When the United States Surveying and Exploring
Expedition to the South Seas, which sailed under the
command of then Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, in the
summer of 1838, was first organized under Commodore
T. Ap-Catesby Jones, about two years before, Dr. Pick-
ering's reputation was such that he was at once selected
as the principal zoologist. Subsequently, as the plan
expanded, others were added. Yet the scientific fame
of that expedition most largely rests upon the collections
and the work of Dr. Pickering and his surviving associate,
Professor Dana; the latter taking, in addition to the
geology, the corals and the Crustacea, — other special de-
partments of zoology being otherwise provided for by the
accession of Mr. Couthouy and Mr. Peale. Dr. Picker-
ing, although retaining the ichthyology, particularly
turned his attention, during the nearly four years' voy-
age of circumnavigation, to anthropology, and to the
study of the geographical distribution of animals and
plants ; to the latter especially, as affected by or as evi-
dence of the operations, movements, and diffusion of
the races of man. To these, the subjects of his pre-
dilection, and to investigations bearing upon them, all
his remaining life was assiduously devoted. The South
Pacific Exploring Expedition had visited various parts
of the world, but it necessarily left out regions of the
highest interest to the anthropological investigator, those
occupied in early times by the race to which we belong,
and by the peoples with which the Aryan race has been
most in contact. Desirous to extend his personal ob-
servations as far as possible, Dr. Pickering, a year after
the return of the expedition, and at his own charges,
crossed the Atlantic, visited Egypt, Arabia, the eastern
part of Africa, and western and northern India. Then, in
1848, he published his volume on The Races of Man and
their Geographical Distribution, being the ninth volume of
the Reports of the Wilkes Exploring Expedition. Some
time afterwards he prepared, for the fifteenth volume of
this series, an extensive work on The Geographical Distri-
59
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
button of Animals and Plants. But, in the course of the
printing, the appropriations by Congress intermitted or
ceased, and the publication of the results of this cele-
brated expedition was suspended. Publication it could
hardly be called, for Congress printed only one hundred
copies, in a sumptuous form, for presentation to States
and foreign courts; and then the several authors were
allowed to use the types and copperplates for printing
as many copies as they required and could pay for.
Under this privilege, Dr. Pickering brought out in 1854
a small edition of the first part of his essay, — per-
haps the most important part, — and in 1876 a more
bulky portion. On Plants and Animals in their Wild
State, which is largely a transcript of the note-book
memoranda as jotted down at the time of observation
or collection.
" We are ready to agree with a biographer, who de-
clares that our associate was ' a living encyclopaedia of
knowledge ' ; that there never was a naturalist ' who had
made more extended and minute original explorations ' ;
and we fully agree that ' no one ever had less a passion
or a gift for display'; that ' he was engaged during a
long life in the profoundest studies, asking neither fame
nor money, nor any other reward, but simply the privi-
lege of gaining knowledge and of storing it up in con-
venient forms for the service of others ' ; that ' the love
of knowledge was the one passion of his life,' and that
' he asked no richer satisfaction than to search for it as
for hidden treasure. ' He was singularly retiring and reti-
cent, very dry in ordinary intercourse, but never cynical ;
delicate and keen in perception and judgment; just, up-
right, and exemplary in every relation; and to those
who knew him well communicative, sympathetic, and
even genial. In the voyage of circumnavigation he was
the soul of industry and a hardy explorer. The pub-
lished narrative of the commander shows that he took a
part in every fatiguing excursion or perilous ascent.
Perhaps the most singular peril (recorded in the narrative)
was that in which this light-framed man once found him-
self on the Peruvian Andes, when he was swooped upon
by a condor, evidently minded to carry off the naturalist
who was contemplating the magnificent ornithological
specimen."
60
THE SCIENTIFIC CORPS
Horatio Hale (1817-1896) was the philologist and
ethnographer of the corps. He was but twenty-one
years old when the corps was made up, and graduated at
Harvard College in 1837, a year before his embarkation.
While an undergraduate he had made his first contribu-
tion to science by publishing a small pamphlet on an
Algonquin dialect. He came of a New Hampshire
family, and his mother, Mrs. Sarah J. Hale, won distinc-
tion as the writer of many widely circulated volumes,
most of them published during her residence in Philadel-
phia. For the last forty years and more of his life Mr.
Hale resided in Clinton, Ontario, Canada, where he was
engaged in the practice of law. As late as 1893 he pub-
lished two scientific papers. Of his exploration report.
Dr. Daniel G. Brinton, a well-known authority, says
that it
" is filled with extremely valuable material relating to the
ethnology and dialects of the various tribes encountered
by the expedition, especially in Patagonia, Polynesia,
Australia, South Africa, and the northwest coast of
North America. The grammar and comparative vocabu-
lary of the Polynesian dialects are especially creditable,
and Mr. Hale's studies of the migrations of the Polyne-
sians and the peopling of the islands of the Pacific Ocean
may be justly said to have laid the foundation for all
subsequent researches in that field. In their main out-
lines they have stood the test of later inquiry, and are
accepted 1;o-day by the soundest anthropologists."
Titian Ramsey Peale of Philadelphia was one of three
brothers, Titian, Rembrandt, and Raphael, sons of
Charles W. Peale, who is well known by his portraits of
Washington. The son was thirty-eight years old when
the squadron sailed, and he had already won reputation
from the plates he had drawn in illustration of Bonaparte's
American Ornithology. The plates which are found in
Cassin's report on the mammalogy and ornithology of
Jhe expedition were his work.
61
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Respecting Couthouy and Rich, very little information
has come under my eye. Rich was the senior botanist,
and prepared a report, the title-page of which appears in
some of the expedition bibliographies, but the volume,
for some reason, appears to have been suppressed. J.
P. Couthouy is mentioned by Wilkes (November, 1840)
as having been absent from the squadron on account of
ill-health for a period of eleven months. During the
civil war he entered the service of the United States
Navy, was appointed Acting Lieutenant, commanded in
succession three vessels, and was shot on the deck of his
vessel, April 3, 1864.*
William D. Brackenridge, botanist, was born near Ayr,
in Scotland, in 1810, and died February 3, 1893, at
Govanstown, in the neighborhood of Baltimore. After
having been the head gardener to Dr. Neill of Edin-
burgh, he was attached, for a time, to the Botanical
Garden in Berlin, and came to the United States in
1837, establishing himself in Philadelphia, where his
merits attracted the attention of Mr. Poinsett and se-
cured for him an appointment on the expedition.
The plants and seeds which he brought home from the
South Seas formed the nucleus of the Botanical Gardens
in Washington. He succeeded Charles Downing as
superintendent of the public grounds of the Capitol, and
laid out the Smithsonian grounds. During the latter
part of his life he was highly esteemed as a florist and
landscape-gardener in the place of his residence. In a
special report he described the ferns and mosses collected
by the expedition. Many of his notes are now in the
possession of his family.
The story is told of him, that on his way from Mount
Shasta to San Francisco, an alarm from the Indians
caused the party of explorers to run. Brackenridge saw
* Note from Prof. W. H. DalL
62
ABSENCE OF HERRICK AND GRAY
a strange-looking plant, grabbed a clump of it, and carried
it to camp. This was the Darlingtonia Californica.
Two men whose scientific and friendly companionship
Dana greatly desired were absent from the fleet. One of
these was Asa Gray, even then giving promise of the
high attainments and renown which distinguished him
throughout a long life. Dana knew him well, admired
and loved him. Gray had accepted the position of
botanist, but almost at the last moment relinquished the
post, — annoyed by all the delays that had occurred, and
induced by attractive proposals to remain at home.
Nevertheless his naine is always associated with the voy-
age, for to him the collections of plants were committed
at its close for examination and report. The other friend
was Edward C. Herrick of New Haven, already repeatedly
mentioned, — a man of great acuteness and versatility, well
acquainted with the progress of many departments of
science, and especially interested in entomology and in
such celestial phenomena as the aurora, the zodiacal
light, and meteoric showers. Dr. W. T. Harris, the
author of Insects Injurious to Vegetation, once wrote ask-
ing him to give up his astronomy and " attend to some-
thing useful," the pursuit of entomology. Dana and
Pickering united their efforts to secure an appointment
for Herrick, and it came at last, a few days before the
time appointed for sailing, a welcome honor, but an ap-
pointment that involved a lamentable disappointment.
Cruel fate, which hung over Herrick's early life, and
kept from distinction a man of rare abilities, prevented
his acceptance. To arrange his affairs for so long an
absence there was not time enough in the ten days that
intervened between the receipt of his invitation and the
day fixed for the departure of the squadron. So he
declined, and thus he lost the opportunity of his life.
The appointment of Lieutenant Wilkes was dated
March 20, 1838. Three months later, the following
63
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
General Order was issued by the Navy Department,
evidently so framed as to allay the prevalent apprehen-
sions that conquest was proposed.
" NAVY GENERAL ORDER
' ' The armament of the Exploring Expedition being adapted merely for
its necessary defence, while engaged in the examination and survey of the
Southern Ocean, against any attempts to disturb its operations by the sav-
age and warlike inhabitants of those islands ; and the objects which it is
destined to promote being altogether scientific and useful, intended for the
benefit equally of the United States and of all commercial nations of the
world : it is considered to be entirely divested of all military character,
that even in the event of the country being involved in a war before the re-
turn of the squadron, its path upon the ocean will be peaceful and its pur-
suits respected by all belligerents. The President has therefore thought
proper, in assigning officers to the command of this squadron, to depart
from the usual custom of selecting them from the senior ranks of the navy
and according to their respective grades in the service, and has appointed
Lieutenant Charles Wilkes first officer to command the Exploring Expedi-
tion, and Lieutenant William L. Hudson to command the ship Peacock and
to be second officer of said squadron and take command thereof in the
event of the death of the first officer, or his disability, from accident or
sickness, to conduct the operations of the Expedition.
"(Signed) Mahlon Dickerson,
" Secretary of the Navy.
" Navy Department, June 22, 1838."
The final instructions, drawn up by Mr. Paulding, were
dated August 11, 1838, and just one week later the
squadron sailed from Norfolk.
Hampton Roads, the rendezvous, has been the scene
of many historic events, — but among them, this peaceful
incident, the departure of our first naval exploring ex-
pedition, should not be forgotten. Three weeks before
it sailed, the President, with the Secretaries of the Navy
and of War, visited the flag-ship, and were received with
all the honors, — the only occasion during the continuance
of Wilkes's command when a salute was fired. Six ves-
sels comprised the squadron: the Vincennes, a sloop-of-
64
DEPARTURE FROM HAMPTON ROADS
war, of 780 tons, having the accommodations of a small
frigate; the Peacock, a sloop-of-war, of 650 tons; the
Porpoise, a gun-brig, of 230 tons ; and the Relief, a slow-
going store-ship. Besides these, two New York pilot-
boats, the Sea-Gull, of no tons, and the Flying-Fish, of
96 tons, were attached as tenders. Wilkes took com-
mand of the Vincennes, Hudson of the Peacock, Ringgold
of the Porpoise, and passed midshipmen Reid and Knox
were in charge of the two tenders. The pilot was dis-
missed off Cape Henry, on Sunday morning, August
19th, a beautiful day, the sea smooth, and the wind
light. All hands were called to muster for divine wor-
ship. The commander writes that he was deeply im-
pressed by the service on the Vincennes. It required, he
says, " all the hope he could muster to outweigh the
intense feeling of responsibility that hung over him."
He compared his lot to that of one " doomed to destruc-
tion." No doubt he remembered that Cook and Langle
had been murdered, that La P^rouse and his ships had
disappeared, and that D'Entrecasteaux, with a third of
his crew, had died at sea. He was beginning a four
years' cruise, which might be successful and fortunate as
a whole, but was sure to be chequered by peril, appre-
hension, and possibly by disaster.
65
CHAPTER VI
ROUTE OF THE EXPLORERS, 1838-1842
Narrative of the Cruise — Madeira and Rio de Janeiro — Dangerous Passage
around Cape Horn : Extreme Peril — Valparaiso and the Cordilleras —
The South Sea Islands : The Paumotus, Society Islands, Samoa — Aus-
tralia — Discovery of the Antarctic Continent — Nevif Zealand — The
Feejee and the Sandwich Islands — The Northwest Coast of America —
Shipwrecked at the Mouth of the Columbia — Crossing the Pacific —
Manila, Sooloo, Singapore — Return Home by the Cape of Good Hope
and St. Helena — Arrival in New York.
THE cruise was at last begun; new perils and new
victories were to come. Rio de Janeiro was the
first goal,— so named in Paulding's instructions. En
route, the effort was to be made to determine whether
certain vigias, or shoals, reported obstructions to naviga-
tion in the Atlantic, were really in existence. So Wilkes
crossed the ocean to Madeira and anchored at Funchal a
month after leaving Norfolk. The enthusiasm of the
young explorers, as they looked upon the scenery and
vegetation of a semi-tropical island, was genuine and
hearty. A sketch of the Estroza Pass by the artist
Drayton precedes Wilkes's opening chapter, and the
Curral, a great chasm of two thousand feet in depth, was
also pictured and described. Dana, with Hale, Holmes,
and Eld, went to the east of the island, beyond Machico,
to examine the geology.
" I have not space nor time," says Dana, " to describe
the many peculiarities of Madeira, and can only say that
I have spent the greater part of two days in riding over
66
THROUGH THE ATLANTIC
mountains five thousand feet high, down their precipitous
sides, into the deep narrow valleys they bound, and again
up by a serpentine path often not wide enough for more
than a single horse. Frequently as I looked down the
steep precipice that bordered the road, a thousand feet or
more in depth, with nothing to prevent the horse from
walking off and taking the fatal plunge but his own good
knowledge of the roads and his firmness of step, I could
not avoid shuddering and hugged more closely to the
wall of rock on the other side."
A brief stay was made at Porto Praya (St. lago) in the
Cape Verdes, and the next rendezvous was Rio. As the
Peacock crossed the equator, there was much of the usual
fun, especially because of the ignorance of one of the
officers who was now for the first time at sea. He was
made to believe that the equator was a visible line, and
expected to have a sight of it on passing. At Rio meas-
ures were taken to make extensive and indispensable
repairs. The Peacock, which afterwards came to grief,
had already showed its unfitness for the service on which
it was entering. The supplies, even of flour, were found
to be inferior. The rigging was poor. Somebody at
home, whose name is lost, had been guilty of gross negli-
gence; somebody, doubtless, of outrageous fraud. Much
time was lost in refitting, and during it some of the staff
made a study of the political state of Brazil, and others
made excursions. Dana was much impressed by the
characteristics of the negroes met everywhere through
the city.
" Although very many of them are slaves, they appear
to be a grade higher than the negroes of our country.
This is owing to the political privileges the free blacks
enjoy. They are equally entitled with the whites to the
offices under government, and are treated in every way
as equals. There is nothing of that prejudice which color
excites with us, and black and white are seen mingling
together with only thpse distinctions of rank which must
67
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
exist in every state of society. The consequence is that
all the blacks, even the slaves, have more self-respect, and
without losing in their respect to their superiors, or sub-
serviency to their employers, they seem to feel them-
selves to be men. The slaves have a certain proportion
of their wages allowed them, and thus they are fre-
quently enabled (always if they have the disposition) to
purchase their own freedom. This distinction between
the blacks of Brazil and those of our own free country
struck me forcibly at first sight ; and further observation
has only strengthened these opinions. It has equally
astonished all of us. There is a great variety in the
character of the negroes, depending on the different
nations to which they belong. Some are remarkable for
their intelligence, and craniologically approach the Euro-
peans, or are quite equal to them ; while others have the
usual features of the blacks of our own country. Even
these, however, as I have before remarked, are superior
to those with us. ' '
The squadron remained in Rio Janeiro about six weeks,
stopped a few days at Rio Negro, on the northern con-
fines of Patagonia, and thence proceeded to double the
Cape. Orange Harbor is on the west side of Nassau
Bay, a little to the north of the island which has long
borne the name of terror. Cape Horn. Wilkes had been
directed to this safe retreat by the advice of Captain
King, R. N., who sent him maps that proved to be
trustworthy. After a short delay, arrangements were
made to dispatch a portion of the squadron on a recon-
noitring excursion into the polar regions. There was
consequently a readjustment of the personnel. The
Porpoise, with Captain Wilkes on board, and one of the
schooners, started on a southern cruise along Weddell's
track, while the Peacock and the other schooner stood
out for the south in a more western longitude. In due
time Wilkes returned, but without important results, and
determined to renew his efforts in a subsequent year.
To spend the interval advantageously, several of the
68
PERILS OF CAPE HORN
corps, Dana among the number, were transferred tempo-
rarily to the Relief for a cruise through the Straits of
Magellan. The Vincennes was left in Nassau Bay to
make some surveys and instrumental observations.
Orders were given to the Relief to enter the Straits by
the Breakneck Passage and Cockburn Channel, which
opens to the southward about three degrees west of Nas-
sau Bay, and return by the Atlantic around Cape Horn.
It was expected that about two months would be spent
by the naturalists.
But all these projects came to naught. After beating
about at sea for twenty days, Commandant Long deter-
mined to run in and anchor under Noir Island, which
King had commended as an excellent harbor. Here
they encountered a terrific gale lasting three days and
three nights, during which the fate of the ship and the
lives of the passengers and crew hung in the balance.
Dana's direful experience was reported to the family
in Utica, and it is easy to imagine the breathless atten-
tion with which the mother read aloud to the household
a narrative which is still extant. Another letter was sent
to Robert Bakewell, a valued friend in New Haven, and
it was quickly handed to one anxious friend and another,
including the Sillimans, Day, Herrick, and Whelpley,
and warm expressions of sympathetic congratulation on
his escape were sent to the traveller. The letters, in-
cluding one addressed to Dr. Gray, show that the perils
of the sea, and the escape from them, made a deep im-
pression on Dana's religious nature.
From the Straits of Magellan northward, the Relief
sailed for Valparaiso, and arrived there April 14th; the
Vincennes came on the 15th of May, the Peacock several
days before. The pilot-boat which, under its new name
Sea-Gull, had acted as tender was never seen after leaving
Orange Bay, and the conclusion was ultimately reached
that it perished in a gale, and that two promising passed
69
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
midshipmen, James W. E. Reid of Florida and Frederick
A. Bacon of Connecticut, were lost with their command.
Valparaiso presented the attractions of a prosperous
Spanish capital. General Prieto, the President of Chili,
was in town, and three elegant balls were given in his
honor, — " surpassing," says Wilkes, " any of our own
fetes at home." All were surprised that Valparaiso
could make so brilliant and tasteful a display of beauty
and magnificence. The recent victory of Yungai over
the Peruvians caused much rejoicing. One day the
President was taken on an aquatic excursion, and on
passing the men-of-war received the customary salute
from all but the Americans. " We could not fire our
guns on account of our chronometers. On his passing,
however, the rigging was manned and we gave him three
hearty cheers, which from their novelty delighted the
President and his suite." *
This gaiety was in strong contrast with the experiences
near Cape Horn. But the scientific corps was not de-
tained by it. The naturalists began their excursions even
before the arrival of the commander, and when he came,
those who could be spared were allowed to visit Santiago
and the Cordilleras beyond. Dana, we might be sure,
was one of those who were eager to seize this opportun-
ity. Pickering, Peale, and Drayton went too. East of
Santiago they ascended the mountains to the height of
10,000 or 11,000 feet, and the range beyond appeared to
be about 4000 feet higher. In the distance, eighty miles
away, the snow-peak Tupongati was conspicuous.
I have no doubt that Dana gave to Wilkes the account
of this excursion that is printed in the narrative, for it
required the eye of a mineralogist as well as of a lover of
scenery to observe and describe both the beauties of the
landscape and the characteristics of rocks and minerals.
The record reads that from the highest point the scene
* Wilkes, vol. i., p. 171.
70
THE CORDILLERAS
was one of grandeur and desolation: mountain after
mountain, separated by immense chasms, to the depth
of thousands of feet, and the sides broken in the most
fantastic forms imaginable. In these higher parts of the
Cordilleras they found a large admixture of the jaspery
aluminous rock which forms the base of the finest por-
phyries ; also chlorite in abundance. The rock likewise
contains fine white chalcedony in irregular straggling
masses. Trachytic breccia was observed in various places.
The porphyry is of a dull purple color rather lighter than
the red sandstone of the United States. No traces of
cellular lava were seen, nor of other more recent volcanic
productions. No limestone was seen in the region
traversed by our parties, — all the lime used at Santiago is
obtained from sea-shells; nor were any proper sedimen-
tary rocks seen.
Nothing could be more striking than the complete
silence that reigned everywhere; not a living thing ap-
peared to their view. After spending some time on the
top, they began their descent; and after two hours' hard
travelling they reached the snow-line, and passed the
night very comfortably in the open air, with their blankets
and pillions or saddle-cloths. Fuel for a fire they unex-
pectedly found in abundance; the Alpinia umbellifera
answering admirably for that purpose, because of the
quantity of resinous matter it contains. Near their camp
was the bank of snow from which the city has been sup-
plied with water for many, years. It covers several acres.
Dana and Couthouy made another trip, — to the copper-
mines of San Felipe, one hundred miles north of Valpa-
raiso. There they were rewarded with a nearer and finer
view of the peak of Tupongato.
Next, the squadron anchored in Callao, the harbor of
Lima and chief port of Peru, which Wilkes had visited
eighteen years before. There was a saying, El que bebe
de la pila .^£/j3J£ada in Lima, — " He that drinks of the
^Lm^o
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
fountain will not leave Lima,"— but the waters of the
Peruvian Trevi had not detained the commander on his
first visit, nor did they now delay the mariners. One
party, with Pickering at the head, and with Rich, who
spoke Spanish well, as a member of it, visited the Cordil-
leras for the purpose of making botanical collections.
They estimated the height ascended to be 15,000 feet,
and the artist who went along made a sketch of the
snowy peak La Vinda, and one of the Valley Bafios,
celebrated hot springs, — both given among the illustra-
tions of Wilkes's narrative. The mines of Pasco, 13,000
feet in elevation, and many other interesting sites, in-
cluding the temple of Pachacamac, were also examined
by members of the staff.
Soon, leaving the coast of South America, the real task
of the expedition. South Sea exploration, began. Stores
were sent in advance, by the Relief, to the Sandwich
Islands and to Sydney, and on the 13th of July the
other vessels of the squadron were ordered to sail. The
commander, looking forward to relations with uncivilized
and savage people, published a general order for the
guidance of his squadron, and then proceeded to the
Paumotu group, or the Low Archipelago or Tuomata
of some recent maps. Krusenstern had advised this
course. In a month's time, Minerva Island, or Clermont
Tonnerre, one of the most eastern of the group, was
reached, the first low coral island that had yet been seen
by the expedition. " It looked like a fleet at anchor,"
says Wilkes's narrative, " nothing but the trees appear-
ing in the distance. On a nearer approach, the whole
white beach was distinctly seen, a narrow belt rising up
out of the ocean, the surf breaking on its coral reefs sur-
rounding a lagoon of a beautiful blue tint and perfectly
smooth." The few natives who were encountered gave
the explorers no welcome. They did not want to be dis-
covered. John Sac, a New Zealander, who spoke the
72
TAHITI
Tahitian language, made out their answer to the friendly
overtures of the Americans: " Go to your own lands;
this belongs to us, and we do not want to have anything
to do with you. ' ' From island to island went the vessels,
making careful measurements, and thus began those pro-
longed studies of corals and coral islands which gave re-
nown to the expedition, and affected, in so many ways,
the scientific career of Dana.
The interest of the voyage increased after leaving the
Paumotus, for Otaheite, or Tahiti, was to be the next
rendezvous, — even then an important commercial and
missionary station, though its coming significance, when
the French should take control, was not suspected. It
was on this island, it will be remembered, that Cook
had observed the transit of Venus in 1769. American,
British, and French consuls were resident in Tahiti ; also
a group of missionaries. Rev. Mr. Wilson, then seventy-
two years old, among the number; and whaling vessels
often came in for supplies. The navigators found amuse-
ment in watching the ways of the primitive islanders.
For example, the pilot, called English Jim, said that for
some days he had " been looking out for vessels, because
it had thundered. ' ' The natives pressed around the ships
in their canoes with such prodigious clamor that every-
body not a chief was prohibited from coming aboard;
but as everybody then claimed to be a chief, some dis-
tinction was indispensable, and only the great chiefs were
admitted. It soon appeared that the object of their
coming was to solicit the washing of the linen, a preroga-
tive of the queen and chiefs. The time of the Americans,
when it was not taken up by the duties of navigation and
exploration, had some alleviations. Dana and others
ascended Mount Aorai, where they had a magnificent
view and where they settled negatively a question that
had been raised as to the existence on the mountain-top
of coral and screw-shells. Others found amusement in
73
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
performing before the natives and other spectators Schil-
ler's play, The Robbers, and in singing Jim Crow. Wilkes
and Hudson were distressed by the illicit trade in ardent
spirits and by their excessive use. Other gross immorali-
ties were also obvious, and drew from the commander
well-merited protests. During the stay in Tahiti, the
four harbors, Matavai, Papaoa, Toano, and Papieti, were
surveyed. Presently, the Vincennes paid a visit to the
beautiful island, Eimeo, where the Simpsons were estab-
lished as missionaries. It was on this island that a factory
for spinning cotton and weaving cloth and carpets had
been established by the London Missionary Society. It
did not prove a success.
A little to the north and west of the Society Islands
lies the group of which in these days we hear so much,
the Samoan, or, as they were called by Bougainville,
their discoverer, the Navigator's Islands. After less than
three weeks in Tahiti, Wilkes sailed for this group, which
he presently surveyed and mapped as he had previously
mapped Tahiti. Four larger islands, with several islets,
constitute the group. First came Rose Island, so named
by Freycinet; then, westward, with their aboriginal
names, Manua (and near it Ofoo and Oloosinga), Tutuila,
Upolu, and Savaii. In Manua at that time there was a
disturbance between the missionary party and their op-
ponents. In Oloosinga, Wilkes made a call of ceremony
upon the king, who had retreated from Manua because
of the wars between the Christian and the Devil's parties.
Samoan etiquette was rigid, but not familiar to the
American commander. The king invited him to dinner
and made a pre-prandial speech of welcome. Wilkes was
requested to hand some of the food to the king and to
his brother and to others who were pointed out, but un-
fortunately he continued the task by showing the same
courtesy to one of the Kanakas, or common people.
Then there was a disturbance, — not serious or prolonged.
74
SAMOA
for it was soon appeased by the commander's courtesy.
Having seen the process of making ava, which was not
appetizing to an American palate, he declined to partake
of this popular drink, and received instead a fresh cocoa-
nut. The whole story of the dinner and the return to
the Vincennes is worth looking up in Wilkes's narrative.
Then began the surveys, — the Vincennes taking Tut-
uila ; the Porpoise, Savaii ; Upolu being reserved for the
Peacock and Flying-Fish. The harbor of Pago-Pago, or
Tutuila, or Cuthbert's Harbor, is the most notable
harbor in all the Polynesian isles ; in shape like a retort,
surrounded on all sides by precipices eight or ten hundred
feet high, in which there are but two breaks. Here
Wilkes gathered some particulars respecting the murder
of De Langle and his comrades on the voyage of La
P6rouse. Here it is that the United States is establish-
ing a coaling station.
The island Upolu (known also as Opoloo, Ojalava,
Oahtooha) includes the well-known bay and town of
Apia. This harbor, which lies on the steamer's route
from California to New Zealand, has rapidly increased in
importance since Germany, England, and the United
States assumed the protectorate of the Samoans, and is
now the centre of English and American interests, rival-
ling Tahiti, where the French are dominant. A recent
writer predicts that Apia will become a favorite winter
resort for the New Zealanders who are forced to go north
for warmer weather. It was declared an international
port in 1890. A short time previous (March, 1889,) oc-
curred that fearful hurricane which will never be forgotten
in the annals of the navy.
Apia has still other distinctions. It was the home,
during the last four years of his life, of that gifted writer,
Robert Louis Stevenson, who sought, as Colvin says, to
find, the words of vital aptness and animation, with
which to describe the beauties of the enchanted island,
75
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
and who has thus made Samoan life and ways familiar to
thousands of readers.
While the expedition was in this region, the harbor
became the scene of a remarkable trial before the native
chiefs, a native Tavai having been arraigned, on Captain
Hudson's complaint, for the murder of an American,
Edward Cavenaugh of New Bedford. Wilkes visited
Rev. Mr. Williams, the author of Polynesian missionary
researches, and consulted with him about the arrest of
a bloodthirsty fellow named Opotuno, whose capture had
been so desirable that the United States government had
once sent a ship-of-war for that purpose.
At Sagana, a call was made upon the chief Malietoa,
who was said to bear " a striking resemblance to General
Jackson." His portrait was taken, and that of his wife
and his daughter Emma, by Agate, the artist of the
party. Dana and Couthouy examined a lake called
Lauto, in the centre of an extinct volcano, two or three
thousand feet above the sea, — " Lauto, untouched by
withered leaf," the scene of legend and the home of
superstition. Here, in the shape of eels, dwelt the spirits
of Samoan mythology. The most important occurrence
during the stay of the squadron was \}a.^fono, or council,
held by theJiighest chiefs of the Malo party in the pres-
ence of the naval officers and the missionaries, to guar-
antee protection for the American whale-ships. Among
other satisfactory conclusions a large reward was offered
for the capture of Opotuno, the renegade just mentioned.
At the end of a month the ships weighed anchor, hav-
ing completed the surveys and accumulated a great
amount of information respecting the geology, the
natural products, the manners and customs of the na-
tives, their language, songs, and games. To the mis-
sionaries the squadron was indebted in a great degree
for the facilities that were enjoyed in learning the ways
of the Samoans.
76
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
I may have dwelt too long upon these glimpses of
Samoa sixty years ago, and yet I have not done justice
to the interesting observations of the American visitors.
The word-pictures and the pencil-pictures by Wilkes and
his colleagues are well worth reading by those who have
learned through the Vailima letters and the tropical
sketches of Stevenson to take an interest in the enchant-
ing islands. As time goes on and the ocean is traversed
more and more by steamers, it will soon be an every-day
affair to meet with those who have called at Apia or
Pago-Pago, on the way from San Francisco to Auckland,
or from Honolulu to Sydney. The islanders will lose
their distinctive characteristics, but these early impres-
sions of Samoa, written when the continental world first
came prying into the affairs and habitations of the island
world, will retain their interest as long as Stevenson's
writings are read, and that will be as long as Sir Walter
Scott's.*
From these glimpses of uncivilized life the Americans
turned to the British settlements of New South Wales,
preliminary to a second cruise in the Antarctic Ocean.
The squadron sailed on the loth of November from
Apia, bound to Sydney, where they arrived after twenty
days. The boldness, if not the rashness, of the com-
mander, and his skill or his good fortune as a navigator,
were shown by his running into the harbor without a pilot
and by night. The people on shore were astonished one
morning to find that two American men-of-war had en-
tered the port in safety, in spite of the difficulties of the
channel, without being reported and unknown to the
♦"Somewhere or other about these myriads Samoa is concealed, and
not discoverable on the map. Still, if you wish to go there, you will have
no trouble about finding it if you follow the directions given by Robert
Louis Stevenson to Dr. Conan Doyle and to Mr. J. M. Barrie.
" You go to America, cross the continent to San Francisco, and then it
is the second turning to the left." — Mark Twain, Following the Equator.
77
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
pilots. Here they remained for several weeks, while
Wilkes was preparing to explore the polar ice-fields. On
this forbidding excursion he did not plan to take with
him the members of the scientific corps, for " they were
regarded," says Dana, " as a worse than useless append-
age." The observations which were made in Australia
by Captain Wilkes, so far as can be discovered from his
narrative, related to the social problems suggested by the
rapidly increasing influence of British power. " New
South Wales," he says, " is known in the United States
almost by its name alone. ' ' He therefore gathers statis-
tical and historical data from authoritative sources, — from
Sir George Gipps, Bishop Broughton, and Mr. John
Blaxland among others; he looks into the effects of
the penal colony, the condition of commerce, legislation,
education, and religion. Sydney then numbered some
24,000 persons, about one-fifth of the population of New
South Wales, and it was estimated that about one-fourth
of this number were convicts. A convict ship came in
while he was there, but this must have been among the
last of such arrivals. With the celebrated disciplinarian.
Captain Maconochie, he held many interviews, and the
prisons at Paramatta, as well as those at Sydney, were
examined. He also visited the astronomical observatory
established by Sir Thomas Brisbane, — and at the time of
Wilkes's visit in a dilapidated state.
While the commander was occupied in this way and
with preparations for his southern voyage (especially im-
portant because of the bad condition of the Peacocli), the
members of the scientific corps made journeys to various
places distant from Sydney. For example. Hale and
Agate went eighty miles northward to Hunter River,
and thence to Lake Macquarie, a missionary station
among the aborigines, the scene of Threlkeld's labors.
Another party, Dana among them, went by steamboat to
Newcastle and then to Maitland, the bead of ti4e-water
;8
DISCOVERY OF ANTARCTIC CONTINENT
on the Hunter River, and near a site famous for fossils.
Hale also went to the Wellington Valley, 230 miles to the
northwest of Sydney, where he had an opportunity to
study the native manners, customs, and language. Peale
went into the interior in the direction of Argyle and
brought back his story of singular bird-notes, especially
the quaint jargon of the laughing jackass {Dacelo gigantea).
He obtained with difficulty specimens of Ornithorhyncus,
and he saw the wallaby, smallest species of kangaroo,
and many opossums. The well-known ornithologist, Mr.
Gould, was then studying the Australian humming-birds.
Dana made a study of the effects of earthquakes and of
volcanic action, — but none of the party reached the burn-
ing mountain, Wingen.
On the 26th of December, — the very day which had
been fixed, before sailing from the United States, for their
departure, — the Vincennes, Peacock, and Porpoise weighed
anchor and stood down the bay. Dana and other mem-
bers of the scientific staff were left in Sydney, whence
they were to make their way to New Zealand when an
opportunity offered.
Wilkes, in the ninth and tenth chapters of his second
volume, has given, almost in the form of a log-book,
the incidents of his romantic and exciting voyage to the
icy barrier surrounding the South Pole, — a voyage of
seventy-five days, in going and returning. The glory of
it was the discovery, on the morning of the i6th of Janu-
ary, 1840, of land within the Antarctic Circle. The
discovery was soon confirmed by other navigators.
D'Urville, the French admiral, a few days later landed
on a small point of rocks, which he called Claire Land,
and testified to his belief in the existence of a vast tract
of land. Ross, the English explorer, in the succeeding
year penetrated to the latitude of 79° S., " coasted for
some distance along a lofty country, and established be-
yond all cavil the correctness of our assertion," says
79
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Wilkes, " that we have discovered, not a range of de-
tached islands, but a vast continent. " * All doubt regard-
ing the reality of his discovery wore away from the mind
of the American explorer as, toward the close of his cruise
along the icy barrier, the mountains of the Antarctic con-
tinent became familiar and of daily appearance.
After an absence of two and a half months, Wilkes
returned to his base in Port Jackson (Sydney) before
proceeding to take up, in New Zealand, his scientific
colleagues. The Peacock needed important repairs. This
vessel, weak at the outset, had been blocked up in the
polar ice, and was not extricated before it had suffered
severe injury. Under trying circumstances the captain,
Hudson, exhibited skilful seamanship and received high
praise. He was ordered to proceed, after the repair of
his vessel, to Tongataboo, while Wilkes sailed for the Bay
of Islands. Here he found the Porpoise and the Flying-
Fish at anchor.
The scientific corps, Dana among them, had arrived a
month previously, February 24th, having made the pas-
sage in the British brig Victoria. Some of them were
witnesses of the ceremony of treaty-making between the
New Zealand chiefs and the representatives of the British
government. Little did thej^ suspect that in half a cen-
tury there would be more than seven hundred thousand
Europeans on these islands, and not quite forty thousand
* The following note from Captain Wilkes to the Secretary of the Navy
is worth reprinting :
' ' I lost no time in preparing for Captain Ross a copy of the chart sent
you, of our operations south, giving him all my experience relative to the
weather, etc., well knowing that it would be anticipating the wishes of the
President and yourself to afford all and every assistance in my power to aid
in the furtherance of its objects and views, and in some small degree repay
the obligations this expedition is under to all those who are deeply inter-
ested in that which Captain Ross now commands, who had himself afforded ,
me all the assistance in his power while I was engaged in procuring the
instruments for this expedition." — From Charles Wilkes to Jas. K. Pauld-
ing, Secretary of the Navy, April 6, 1840.
80
NEW ZEALAND
Maoris. The following letter from one of the naturalists
of the expedition to the Secretary of the Navy refers to
an historical event of great significance, the acquisition
of New Zealand by Great Britain.
JOSEPH P. COUTHOUY TO J. K. PAULDING, SECRETARY
OF THE NAVY, MARCH 29, 184O
" Before this reaches you, you will doubtless have heard
of the occupancy of New Zealand and its dependencies as
a British colony under the lieut. -governorship of Wm.
Hobson, Esq., R. N. ; in consequence of which, without
some understanding to the contrary with Great Britain,
our whalers, outnumbering those of both England and
France together, will be wholly cut off from this lucrative
field of employment. Although the British government
affects to recognize the independence of the native chiefs,
in pursuance of the treaty stipulation with European
powers, that New Zealand should preserve its sovereignty
intact, yet it is obtaining possession, as fast as possible,
of their territories, by purchase; and no reasonable man
can doubt that in a very short time they will thus be en-
abled to lay claim to the whole of both islands, as they
now do to the best portion of the northern one. Gover-
nor Hobson has already gone so far as to issue a pro-
clamation stating that henceforth no purchases of land by
individuals from the natives will be held valid which do
not receive the sanction of the crown ; and, still farther,
that, in regard to purchases already made, the crown will
decide what portion shall be retained by the purchasers.
I also learned this morning from a brother of Robuluha,
the most powerful chief on the northern island, that the
new government is using every exertion to dissuade the
chiefs from disposing of their lands in future to any one
but the Queen of Great Britain. The whalers here ex-
press great apprehension lest the result of these move-
ments should be their exclusion from any participation in
the valuable fisheries of the coast, and this, together with
the interest which as an American citizen I feel in any-
thing affecting so important a branch of tOur national
industry, will, I hope, be a sufficient excuse with the De-
partment for my having alluded to the subject."
81
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Chief Pomare was frequently visited in his pa, or strong-
hold near the anchorage, and he occasionally visited the
scientific corps at their lodgings. On one occasion, by
request, the natives favored the explorers with an exhibi-
tion of a war-dance, in which three or four hundred men
took part, in the presence of their wives and children.
A more grotesque group, says Wilkes, cannot well be
imagined, — dressed, half dressed, or entirely naked.
This was followed by a feast-dance, and that with a colla-
tion of rice and sugar prepared by the American visitors.
Notwithstanding these diversions, no person in the
squadron felt any regret at leaving New Zealand (April
6th), for there was a want of all means of amusement,
says Wilkes, " as well as of any objects in whose ob-
servation we were interested." I can only account for
this remark of Captain Wilkes, and for his speedy depart-
ure from New Zealand, by remembering that his enthu-
siasm had been cooled by a visit to the icy fringe of an
antarctic coast. His interest in the lands and vegeta-
tion, and even in primitive humanity, seems to have
reached its lowest point. What a contrast the observa-
tion of Froude, fifty years later, when English civilization
was completely established !
" In New Zealand there are mountain ranges grander
than the giant bergs of Norway ; there are sheep-walks
for the future MelibcEus or Shepherd of Salisbury Plain;
there are the rich farm-lands for the peasant yeomen;
and the coasts, with their inlets and infinite varieties, are
a nursery for seamen who will carry forward the traditions
of the old land. No Arden ever saw such forests, and no
lover ever carved his mistress's name on such trees as are
scattered over the northern island, while the dullest in-
tellect quickens into awe and reverence amidst volcanoes
and boiling springs and the mighty forces of nature, which
seem as if any day they might break their chains. Even
the Maoris, a mere colony of Polynesian savages, grow to
a stature of mind and body in New Zealand which no
82
TONGA
branch of that race has approached elsewhere. If it lies
written in the book of destiny that the English nation
has still within it great men who will take a place among
the demigods, I can well believe that it will be in the un-
exhausted soil and spiritual capabilities of New Zealand
that the great English poets, artists, philosophers, states-
men, soldiers, of the future will be born and nurtured." *
Between the days of Wilkes and Froude came those of
Bishops Selwyn and Pattison, and those of Sir George
Grey.
The Tonga group was next to be visited, and accord-
ingly the Vincennes, Porpoise, and Flying-Fish set sail on
the 6th of April from the Bay of Islands. On the 22d,
Wilkes made Eooa and Tongataboo, — the two southern-
most of the Friendly Isles of Cook ; and a few days later
the Peacock, which had been repaired at Sydney, rejoined
the other vessels. At Nukualofa, the Christian party
and the Devil's were found to be on the point of hostili-
ties, and the American commander proffered his services
to the Wesleyan missionary. Rev. Mr. Tucker, in recon-
ciliation of the opponents. This led to an extraordinary
conference with " King George " in the hut of " King
Josiah," — but the ambition of the first named to enlarge
his dominions in Vavao by adding to them Tonga was an
insurmountable obstacle to the arbitration. The Ton-
gese, who were quite akin to the Samoans in appearance
and customs, were in many respects the most attractive
and interesting persons that were seen in the South Seas.
A larger proportion of fine-looking people, says Wilkes,
is seldom to be seen in any portion of the globe. They
are of a shade lighter than any of the other islanders ;
their countenances are generally of the European cast ;
they are tall and well made ; and their muscles are well
developed. They are ingenious and industrious; war-
like ; fond of amusement ; and devoted to their drink,
* Froude's Oceana.
S3
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
ava, and to tobacco. Strong attachments exist between
husband and wife and between parents and children.
The troubled state of the island prevented the Americans
from making the thorough examination that had been
planned ; nevertheless much information was collected in
respect to the manners and customs of the natives, and
the results of missionary labors among them ; and the
naturalists did not fail to study the vegetation and to
observe the characteristics of the coral reefs and lagoon.
The voyage from the Tongan harbor, Nukualofa, to
Levuka, on Ovolau, in the Feejees, occupied four days, — a
brief but dangerous transit, for the wind blew gales and
the charts were incomplete and erroneous. The Feejee
Islands, girt by white encircHng reefs, were of a charming
aspect, — Ovolau especially so, the highest, most broken,
and most picturesque. In all this beauty it was hard to
bear in mind— so says the narrator— that here was the
abode of a savage, ferocious, and treacherous race of can-
nibals. Wilkes carried his instruments ashore, and with
a party of twenty-five officers and naturalists ascended
the peak Andulong, where he succeeded in getting the
meridian altitude. From this summit a beautiful view
was obtained of the island, some eight miles long by
seven in breadth. After descending he established an
observatory upon a projecting insulated point, and then
divided his men into parties for a survey of the group.
This survey was one of the most important achievements
of the expedition, and the charts to which it led have
been of constant value ever since. The squadron re-
mained in Feejeean waters for three months, and during
most of the time the four large vessels and seventeen
auxiliaries were engaged on the hydrography. The nat-
uralists had fair opportunities, but it was not safe for
them to penetrate freely the interior of the islands.
A study was made of the characteristics of the native
inhabitants, then almost unknown to the civilized world,
84
SANDWICH OR HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
although to some extent under the instruction of mission-
aries. The natives were reputed to be in many respects
the most barbarous and savage race existing upon the face
of the globe. Intercourse with white men had not miti-
gated their barbarous ferocity. Cannibalism, originally
a religious duty, had been perpetuated as a gratification
of the appetite. Scenes of the most horrid character were
described to Wilkes by the missionaries who had witnessed
them.
The visit of the American explorers ended with a
tragedy. Just as its operations were closed, Wilkes re-
ceived the distressing news that two of his officers. Lieu-
tenant Underwood and Midshipman Wilkes Henry, a
kinsman and ward of the commander, had been treacher-
ously murdered by the natives of Malolo. What a con-
trast between the days of the forties and those of the
nineties! In 1861, the chief offered to come under the
sovereignty of Great Britain, and in 1874 the British flag
was hoisted by Sir Hercules Robinson. There are two
hundred islets in the group, and of their 200,000 inhabit-
ants, 121,000 are now counted as nominally Christian.
It is a pity to pass by the events of this sojourn in such
a cursory manner, but they are only incidents of a very
long voyage, which was still predestined to other excite-
ments and perils.
In the middle of August, the squadron, with its work
well done, set sail for the Sandwich Islands. Passing
Gardner's Island, M'Kean's, and an uncharted island to
which the name of Commodore Hull was given, Sydney,
Birnie's, and Enderbury's, — all members of the Phoenix
group, — the Vincennes sighted Kauai on the 20th of Sep-
tember, and Oahu three days later. On the 25th, the
harbor of Honolulu was entered. The Porpoise, mean-
while, had visited Natavi Bay, — the first vessel that had
anchored there; and Somusomu, afterwards Vatoa or
Turtle Island; and Vavao, the northernmost of the
85
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Friendly Islands; reaching Oahu on the 8th of Oc-
tober.
To visit Honolulu was even then almost like reaching
a port of the United States ; missionaries, traders, letters,
afforded abundant information from home. " Besides,"
says Wilkes, " I found some difficulty in being able to
realize that I was among a Polynesian nation, so far im-
proved are they in the ways of civilization."
Three years had now passed since the enlistment of the
crew. New " articles " were therefore opened for them;
plans for the next eighteen months were matured. Cap-
tain Hudson, on the Peacock, was to return to the Samoas,
verify certain surveys, visit the Ellice and Kingsmill
groups, and seek redress at Strong Island for the capture
of an American vessel ; thence to proceed to "the mouth
of the Columbia, visiting Ascension Island on the way.
The Porpoise, under Ringgold, was to examine some of
the Paumotu Islands, touch at Tahiti, survey Penrhyn's
and Flint Islands, and return to Oahu.
With the Viiicennes, Wilkes proposed to visit Hawaii,
and after ascending Mauna Loa, with his instruments, and
examining the craters, he meant to proceed to the Mar-
quesas, and thence return to the Hawaiian Islands, before
proceeding to the northwest coast of America. He did
not carry out the Marquesas plan.
In his narrative, Wilkes makes abundant comments on
the social conditions of the Sandwich Islanders, and bears
his testimony to the good influences of the missionaries.
The survey of the islands, and especially of the two great
volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, twin giants of
the Pacific, occupied much of the commander's time,
while the naturalists, divided into parties, were sent from
point to point to pursue their investigations. Dana's
observations are well set forth in his Geology of the Pacific,
and in a more accessible form in his volume on Volcanoes.
After visiting Kauai and the eastern and northern coasts
86
COLUMBIA RIVER
of Oahu, he was sent to Hawaii. After landing in Kalea-
keakua Bay, he was instructed to follow the line of coast
as far as Apua and thence to trace the eruption to the
volcano, making examinations and sketches on his route.
The Vincennes and the Porpoise left the Hawaiian Islands
April 5, 1 841, and in twenty-three days came upon Cape
Disappointment, at the mouth of the Columbia River,
and here by a hair's-breadth they escaped disaster.
Wilkes did not attempt to enter the Columbia, but pro-
ceeded to the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and anchored in
the Port Discovery of Vancouver. Admiralty Inlet and
Puget Sound, as well as the Straits, were visited. " I
venture nothing," he writes, " in saying that there is no
country in the world that possesses waters equal to these.
Not a shoal can interrupt the navigation of a seventy-four
gunship. "
It is necessary to return to the course of the Peacock
(which left Oahu, December 2, 1840), for Dana was still
on board this vessel. After visiting the Phoenix group,
the Duke of York's Island, and the Duke of Clarence's
Island, the Peacock came upon an undiscovered coral
island, triangular in shape, eight miles in length and four
in breadth, to which the name of Bowditch, the distin-
guished American astronomer and student of navigation,
and the translator of Laplace, was given at Captain
Hudson's request. The party afterwards revisited Apia
and had an interesting experience among the Samoans.
On the 6th of March, they sailed from the roadstead of
Mataatu for the Ellice and Kingsmill groups. In these
uncivilized countries they gathered much information
and made important surveys. Next, by way of Hono-
lulu, they proceeded to the mouth of the Columbia River.
" Upon this cruise," says Wilkes, " the Peacock sailed
19,000 miles, was 260 days at sea, and only 22 in port."
Although they were exposed to great vicissitudes of
climate, and had but a short allowance, they returned to
87
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
port without a sick man on board. The most terrible
disaster followed. In attempting to cross the bar at the
mouth of the Columbia, the Peacock, on the i8th of July,
struck the shoals, and was beaten by the breakers and
completely wrecked. All on board, Dana among them,
after great perils, were rescued by the bravery of Captain
Hudson and the masterly skill of Lieutenant Emmons.
After this disaster, Wilkes, who had come from Puget
Sound, sent the Vincennes to San Francisco, under Ring-
gold, to survey the Sacramento River, while he remained
with a large party to survey the Columbia.
While the vessels were on their way to San Francisco,
a party of scientific men, under the leadership of Lieuten-
ant Emmons, went up the Willamette River, over the
dividing mountains, and past Mount Shasta to the upper
waters of the Sacramento, whence they descended to the
bay. Dana was one of this party, with Rich and Brack-
enridge, Peale and Agate, Eld and . Colvocoressis. At
Captain Suter's, or " New Helvetia," they were met by
the launch of the Vincennes, in which some of the com-
pany, Dana among them, went down the river, while the
others proceeded by land.
Not many years after the return of the expedition, the
discovery of gold in California led to immigration, as
every one knows, and Captain Wilkes was then called
upon to prepare a monograph on Western America. His
maps of the Pacific coastal regions were introduced with
extracts from the observations of the scientific corps, and
especially those of the geologist and mineralogist, Dana.*
Yerba Buena, in the bay of San Francisco, had been
fixed for the rendezvous, and here the Vincennes had
arrived in the middle of August, 1841. Captain Wilkes
at once endeavored to find the authorities, but authorities
were scarce. The only magistrate, an alcalde, was
* Western America. By Charles Wilkes. Philadelphia, 1849. 130 pp.
8vo.
88
SAN FRANCISCO IN 1842
absent. To those who are familiar at the end of the
century with the wealth and prosperity of San Francisco,
its palatial dwellings, warehouses, churches, libraries,
schools, and institutions of learning, its aspect sixty years
ago, under Spanish rule, is instructive and suggestive.
The harbor was described by Wilkes as one of the finest,
if not the very best harbor, in the world. The magnifi-
cent tributaries and their attractive valleys were appre-
ciated, and the capacity of the country for producing
wheat, grapes, and cattle was well understood. But
city, there was none. The store of the Hudson's Bay
Company, that of the American, Mr. Spears, a " saloon,"
a poop-cabin of a ship occupied as a dwelling-house, a
blacksmith's shop, and a dilapidated adobe building on
the hill made up the settlement.
Before the end of October all the parties engaged in
reconnoitring had reassembled in San Francisco, when
a brig was bought to take the place of the lost Peacock,
and named the Oregon. The squadron then sailed for
Honolulu for the purpose of renewing the supplies, — not
the least important being clothing for those who lost so
much at the mouth of the Columbia. The stay in Hono-
lulu was for ten days only. The Porpoise and its new
consort the Oregon were directed to study the Japanese
gulf-stream and proceed through the China Sea to Singa-
pore. On the Vincennes, Wilkes proceeded to Manila,
intending to visit Strong's and Ascension Islands on the
way, a purpose which circumstances obliged him to aban-
don. He arrived at the capital of the Philippines Janu-
ary 12, 1842.
The interest which is now felt in Manila by every
American gives flavor to the forgotten chapter in Wilkes's
fifth volume which sums up all the data that he could
there collect by his own observations, and by conversation
with the United States Vice-Consul, Josiah Moore, and
Mr. Sturges. Three interesting engravings, one of the
89
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
city, one of a native hut surrounded with foliage, and a
third of a group of rice-stacks near Luzon, embellish the
narrative, — -all sketches by the draughtsman of the ex-
pedition, Mr. A. T. Agate.
The pages of Wilkes contain a summary of the events
in Spanish discovery and occupation, and a survey of the
mineral and agricultural products of the islands. " The
Philippines," says Wilkes, " in their capacity for com-
merce, are certainly among the most favored portions of
the globe." He describes interviews with the Spanish
authorities, and visits to the royal cigar manufactories
and the manufactories oipina, a fabric made from the fibre
of the pineapple. The manners and customs of the Span-
iards and natives are also observed ; and the churches and
convents are noticed.
Permission having been given to the captain to send a
party a short distance into the interior, Messrs. Sturges,
Pickering, Eld, Rich, Dana, and Brackenridge left Manila
in carriages for Santa Anna, where they took bancas and
went on to Laguna de Bay. Here the party divided, the
three first named proceeding to the mountain of Maijai-
jai, and the other three towards the volcano de Taal,
which they did not succeed in reaching. They did as-
cend, but not to the summit, Mount Maquiling.
From Manila, Wilkes proceeded, after a sojourn of nine
days, to the Sooloo Sea, where he made important sur-
veys, the basis of improved charts that were afterwards
published. With the Sultan, Mohammed Damaliel Kis-
and, a treaty was formed, — a " treaty " it was called, but
it is little more than a promise from the Sultan to protect
all vessels of the United States that might visit his do-
minions. The paper is dated at Sohung, once called
" the Mecca of the East."
Here a noteworthy incident occurred. The loss of
Dana's " bowie-knife pistol " came very near provoking
hostile demonstrations. While the party was enjoying
90
ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK
the Sultan's hospitality, the pistol, which had been for a
moment laid down by the owner, disappeared. Wilkes
insisted upon its restoration, and after amusing cere-
monies on both sides, Dana's bowie-knife pistol was at
length secured and the incident was closed.*
The mere suggestion provokes a smile that the " bowie-
knife pistol" of peaceful Professor Dana came near in-
volving the United States in battle.
The squadron next came together in Singapore, —
Wilkes and the Vincennes arriving there at the end of
February, and finding in the harbor the Porpoise, Oregon,
and Flying-Fish, which had come in about a month be-
fore. The homeward route was around the Cape of Good
Hope, and it included a visit to Cape Town, and another
to St. Helena. The Vincennes reached Sandy Hook, in
the bay of New York, at noon, June lo, 1842.
I do not feel sure that any explanation of this long
record of explorations and adventures will be called for
by the reader, but if it is, let me say to him that the wide-
spread interest of our countrymen, just now, in everything
pertinent to the Pacific has led me to believe that they
would be glad to hear a forgotten chapter of nautical
history which contributed much to the glory of the
United States Navy and influenced in a noteworthy de-
gree the lives of at least three distinguished men of
science.
♦Wilkes, Narrative, vol. v., p. 339.
91
CHAPTER VII
DANA'S OWN LETTERS, 1838-I842
Aspects of Nature in the Pacific Ocean— Madeira— The Perils of Cape
Horn — Glimpses of the Patagonians — Views of the Andes — Missions in
the Pacific — Impressions of Australia — The Antarctic Discovery — The
Scientific Work of the Expedition — The Feejee and Sandwich Islands —
Discovery of Bowditch Island — Loss of the Peacock — Feejeean Life-
Later Letters not Discovered.
THE extended narrative now given was partly de-
rived from Dana's correspondence and partly from
Wilkes's volumes, and yet the reader will doubtless wel-
come a selection from the ipsissima verba of the naturalist,
sometimes written to his family and sometimes to his
scientific friends. Many of his letters have disappeared,
but more have been preserved than can here be printed.
The same incidents are frequently described in more than
one letter. The regulations of the cruise required that
all notes, diaries, and specimens made and collected by
the officers and the scientific corps should be surrendered
to the commander; but the only restriction upon corre-
spondence was the injunction of reticence respecting dis-
coveries. Even that was relaxed in respect to the South
Polar expedition.
In reading over Dana's accounts of what he saw and
thought, I wish that he had written a popular account of
the voyage. No one could have done it so well as he ;
nobody can do it now. He might have written a nar-
rative which would have been a companion volume to
Darwin's Voyage of a Naturalist, Wallace's Malayan
92
ASPECTS OF NATURE
Archipelago, and Humboldt's Aspects of Nature. We
can form an impression of what he might have done by
perusing, before we proceed to the letters, a brilliant
passage in which he introduces to the public his book on
corals and coral islands.
Dana' s Memories of the Cruise
" Most agreeable are the memories of events, scenes,
and labors connected with the cruise : of companions in
travel, both naval and scientific ; of the living things of
the sea, gathered each morning by the ship's side, and
made the study of the day, foul weather or fair; of coral
islands with their groves, and beautiful life above and
within the waters ; of exuberant forests on the mountain
islands of the Pacific, where the tree-fern expands its
clusters of large and graceful fronds in rivalry with the
palm, and eager vines or creepers intertwine and festoon
the trees, and weave for them hangings of new foliage
and flowers ; of lofty precipices, richly draped, even the
sternest fronts made to smile and be glad as delights the
gay tropics, and alive with waterfalls, gliding, leaping, or
plunging, on their way down from the giddy heights, and,
as they go, playing out and in amid the foliage ; of gorges
explored, mountains and volcanic cones climbed, and a
burning crater penetrated a thousand feet down to its
boiling depths ; and, finally, — beyond all these, — of man
emerging from the depths of barbarism through Christian
self-denying, divinely aided effort, and churches and
schoolhouses standing as central objects of interest and
influence in a native village.
" On the other hand, there were occasional events not
so agreeable.
" Even the beauty of natural objects had, at times, a
dark background. When, for example, after a day among
the corals, we came, the next morning, upon a group of
Feejee savages with human bones to their mouths, finish-
ing off the cannibal feast of the night ; and as thoughtless
of any impropriety as if the roast were of wild game taken
the day before. In fact, so it was.
" Other regions gave us some harsh scenes. One — that
of our vessel in a lempest, fast drifting toward the rocks
93
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
of Southern Fuegia, and finding anchorage under Noir
Island, but not the hoped-for shelter from either winds
or waves ; the sea at the time dashing up the black cliffs
two and three hundred feet, and shrouding in foam the
high rocky islets, half obscured, that stood about us ; the
cables dragging and clanking over the bottom ; one break-
ing, then another, the storm still raging; finally, after
the third day, near midnight, the last of the four cables
giving way, amid a deluge of waters over the careering
vessel from the breakers astern, and an instant of waiting
among all on board for the final crash ; then, fhat instant
hardly passed, the loud, calm command of the captain,
the spring of the men to the yard-arms, and soon the ship
again on the dark, stormy sea, with labyrinths of islands,
and the Fuegian cliffs to leeward ; but, the wind losing
somewhat of its violence and slightly veering, the ship
making a bare escape as the morning dawned with brighter
skies.
" And still another scene, more than two years later,
on a beautiful Sunday in the summer of 1841, when,
after a cruise of some months through the tropics, we
were in full expectation of soon landing joyously on the
shores of the Columbia ; of the vessel suddenly striking
bottom ; then, other heavier blows on the fatal bar, and
a quivering and creaking among the timbers ; the waters
rapidly gaining in spite of the pumps, through a long
night ; the morning come, our taking to the boats, empty-
handed, deserting the old craft that had been a home for
three eventful years, for ' Cape Disappointment '■ — a
name that tells of other vessels here deceived and
wrecked ; and, twenty hours later, the last vestige of the
' old Peacock ' gone, her upper decks swept off by the
waves, the hulk buried in the sands.
" But these were only incidents of a few hours in a
long and always delightful cruise."
Survey of the Island World of the Pacific
In another mood, but in a similar vein, Dana thus de-
scribes the characteristics of the island world to which the
eye of an explorer had been directed. The following
quotation is from Dana's Geology of the Pacific.
94
THE ISLAND WORLD OF THE PACIFIC
" Yet this small area of land presents us with moun-
tains 14,000 feet in height ; volcanoes of unrivalled mag-
nitude; peaks, crags, and gorges of Alpine boldness.
And amid the wildness and grandeur of these scenes,
many of which would well aid our conceptions of a world
in ruins, the palm, the tree-fern, and other tropical pro-
ductions flourish with singular luxuriance. Zoophytes,
moreover, spread the sea-bottom near the shores with
flowers, and form islands with groves of verdure above,
and coral gardens beneath the water. There is no part
of the world where rocks, waterfalls, and foliage are
displayed in greater variety, or where the sublime and
picturesque mingle in stranger combinations.
" These statements may seem incredible to those who
have traversed only the surface of our own land ; yet it
will be in some degree comprehended when the agencies
that have operated to produce the results are considered :
— that through every part there has been the volcano to
build up mountains, and to shatter again its structures ;
a vast ocean to surge against exposed shores ; rapid de-
clivities to give force to descending torrents ; besides a
climate to favor the coral shrubbery of the ocean, and
bury in foliage the most craggy steeps. Under such cir-
cumstances, it is not surprising that these ocean lands
should be replete with attractions alike to the eye of taste
and of science.
" The waters abound in fish, mollusks, echini, crabs
and other forms of Crustacea, asterias or starfish, and the
variously colored actinias or sea-flowers; and the fresh
waters, although the islands stand isolated in the ocean,
have their own species of fish, reptiles, and even Union-
idcz. Yet with all the profuseness of life, animal and
vegetable, it is a little remarkable that, besides bats, a
native land quadruped is not known in the whole ocean,
though rats and mice from shipping are common every-
where. New Zealand, although as large as New Eng-
land, cannot boast of a single native species, excepting
perhaps a mouse of doubtful origin, and bats which have
wings to aid them in migration.
" It is obvious that the geology of the Pacific islands
embraces topics of the widest importance. There are
extensive rock formations in progress, proceeding from
the waters through the agency of animal life ; there are
95
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
other formations, exemplifying on a vast scale the opera-
tion of igneous causes in modifying the earth's surface;
there are also examples of denudation and disruption,
commensurate with the magnitude of the mountain eleva-
tions. These three great sources of change and progress
in the earth's history are abundantly illustrated."
Dana's Letters on the Voyage
From these panoramas of the fascinating scenery of the
Pacific Ocean, which Dana so thoroughly enjoyed in all
the freshness of his youth, and with all the keenness of
his observant mind, we turn to the files of his letters,
preserved by the hands of friendship and affection, and
present the reader with a selection of those which have
the most general interest. These letters are like original
pencil-sketches by an artist, the bases of future reflec-
tions and studies.
The selection begins with letters to two of his intimate
friends in New Haven.
TO EDWARD C. HERRICK
" U. S. Sloop-of-War Peacock,
' Off Old Point Comfort, Aug. 14, 1838.
' ' I am now very snugly stowed away on board the Pea-
cock in a small stateroom six feet by seven and a half,
where I am required to keep, in addition to my own
private stores, which are not a little bulky, all the public
stores pertaining to my department. Just about room
enough is left, between the bureau forward and a large
box from Chilton's aft, my bunk on one side and my
washstand on the other, to stand up without touching
either of the above-mentioned articles. Yet I feel that
our prospects are fine, that our accommodations are bet-
ter than they would have been aboard the Macedonia,
where two occupied a single stateroom, and that nothing
is needed but yourself to make it quite an earthly para-
dise. Mr. Hale and Mr. Peale are my scientific associ-
ates. Pickering, Couthouy, and Drayton are on the
Vincennes, Captain Wilkes's vessel, and Rich and Agate
96
MADEIRA
on board the Relief under Lieutenant Long. Our squad-
ron has been increased by the two pilot-boats which were
purchased at New York, and we are now ready for sea.
We shall probably sail to-morrow."
TO EDWARD C. HERRICK
" Rio Janeiro, Nov. 22, 1838.
" Our passage to Madeira was of thirty days' length.
On the morning of the 17th of September we first had a
view of her rocky heights. They appeared to rise on all
sides directly from the water's edge, and reached their
greatest altitude, about 6000 feet, a little to the east of
the centre of the island. The distant view, though grand
and imposing, is peculiarly dark and gloomy, and not till
we had made our way close under the land could we dis-
cover the green patches which are everywhere scattered
over the dark soil, even to the tops of the highest peaks.
The mountain verdure was afterwards found to be due to
groves of heath and broom, which instead of the low shrub
of Europe aspire to the stature of forest trees, for the
broom was observed with a height of fifteen feet, and the
heath attained fully double that height and a diameter of
two and a half feet. In addition to these groves, the
terraced acclivities covered with a luxuriant vegetation,
in some places running almost to the tops of the moun-
tains, change its distant barren aspect into one of extreme
fertility and beauty. The most striking peculiarity of
the mountain scenery consists in the jagged outline of
the ridges, the rudely shaped towers and sharp, angular
pyramids of rock which appear elevated on the sides and
tops of the highest peaks, and the deep, precipitous gorges
which cut through the highest mountains almost to their
bases. The whole is quite in character with the volcanic
nature of the rocks. I amused myself with rambling
among these rocks during a short stay of a week at the
island and found much that was interesting in its geology
and magnificent in its scenery. The island is certainly
deserving of all the encomiums that have been bestowed
on it. I will not trouble you any further with descrip-
tions, as you will find them in the numerous volumes of
travellers who have visited the island. We left Madeira
on the 24th, and on the 5 th of October made the islands
97
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Bonavista, Mayo, and St. lago of the Cape Verde group,
and on the following day entered the harbor of Porto
Praya in the last. The town of Porto Praya,. situated at
the head of the harbor, presents nothing pleasing even
in the distant view, and on visiting it I found it the most
degraded place I had ever seen. By far the majority of
the population are African. The one-storied hovels in
which they live, their disgusting personal appearance,
and no less displeasing manners, and little virtue, all
make a picture as dark as the color of their faces. And
their island does not relieve the dark shades in the
picture by compensating beauty or fertility. We visited
it in its most favorable condition just after its three
months' rain, when the barren plain was covered with
some little verdure. During the rest of the year it is
like an arid desert; the soil becomes baked and every
blade of grass dried up. A few date-palms and cocoanut
trees are seen on the island, but these trees, in their
scanty foliage, a mere tuft of leaves at the extremity,
rather comport with the general aridity of the scene than
relieve its monotony. We were only a few hours ashore,
and those few hours were almost like minutes. The
next morning we set sail for Rio.
" Our passage from the Cape Verdes here has been a
very long one, owing mostly to frequent calms in the
equatorial regions and our fruitless search for shoals.
We had, however, delightful weather, and as I have
found sufficient occupation I have not passed a weari-
some day. As I began to tell you on the preceding
page, I commenced after leaving these islands the ex-
amination of the minute Crustacea — species of cyclops
mostly — which abound in the ocean especially in tropical
latitudes, and instead of the few species I expected to
find, I obtained, figured, and described seventy-five dis-
tinct species, all of which are undoubtedly new, besides
twenty species of other Crustacea. The ocean contains
yet more new things than either philosophy or science
has hitherto dreamed of. I should like to talk longer on
this subject, for I have great confidence that much that
is new, astonishingly so, will be brought to light."
Doubling the Cape " has always been a period of risk
and usually of danger. Dana in all his experiences on the
98
CAPE HORN
Mediterranean and the Atlantic had never encountered
such dangers as those described, in the following narra-
tive, just after the excitements were over.
TO ROBERT BAKEWELL
The Perils of Cape Horn
"Off Tierra del Fuego, March 24, 1839.
" We left Nassau Bay on the 27th ult., expecting in
the course of two or three days to be within the Straits,
scarcely two hundred miles to the westward. Nineteen
days elapsed, and we had run more than fifteen hundred
miles ; yet were no nearer the passage than on the day we
started. We had experienced a succession of violent
gales, rendering it hazardous to approach within sight of
the coast. In one attempt to reach the entrance of the
channel, we just made the land, when a gale set in which
compelled us to leave it again with all possible haste.
On Saturday evening, the 15th inst., we put about again
for the straits, having reached longitude 'j'j° 30' W., and
thus made westing enough to run in with the prevalent
westerly breezes. On Monday morning the wind con-
tinued fair, and we promised ourselves, before the close
of another day, fine sport among the guanacos, birds,
and fish of the Straits, and an agreeable change in our
bill of fare, long since reduced to the ship's allowance of
salt beef and pork. As the morning advanced the wind
freshened ; and towards noon it increased to a gale far
exceeding anything before experienced. The winds
howled through the rigging with almost deafening vio-
lence, and the waves were already lashed into foam by the
raging tempest. The cold wintry blasts were accom-
panied with a driving sleet or hail, and the gloominess of
the scene was still further enhanced by a dense haze which
confined our prospect to the mountain waves immediately
about us. We dashed on, plunging through the waves
or staggering over them, and occasionally enveloped by
their foaming tops, with no change except such as pro-
ceeded from the increasing intensity of the gale, till 3
P.M., when we were alarmed by the cry of ' Breakers
under the bows ! ' A short distance ahead stood majes-
99
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
tically the black Tower rocks, rude towers of naked rock,
one to two hundred feet in height. The heavysurges of
the southern ocean rolled in against the rocks with fright-
ful roar and tumult, and now and then dashed the spray
over their summits, veiling them in a sheet of foam, which
soon disappeared, forming white, thready torrents down
the black rocks. Again the cry was heard, 'Breakers on
the lee bow ! ' and we turned a hasty glance towards our
new dangers. A cliff, black and drear, was dimly dis-
cerned through the haze, and more distinctly, at its base,
a line of heavy breakers. The ship was immediately put
about and all possible efforts made to regain the open sea
to the southward. But we made no headway against the
sea and wind, and rapidly drifted towards the rocks we
would avoid. As a last resort we again put the ship
about, and, with the Tower rocks on one side and Noir
Island on the other, ran for an anchorage under the lee
of the latter. The roadstead was small and the winds
were increasing in violence, endangering our masts and
sails ; it seemed hoping against hope — yet we hoped ;
and in the course of another half-hour, every countenance
was brightened and every heart gladdened by seeing our
anchor safely down and our ship comparatively quiet.
We could not but admire the coolness and judgment of
Captain Long, who, through the whole, was seated on
the foreyard, giving his orders as quietly and deliberately
as in more peaceful times ; but whatever may be imputed
to him, we all felt grateful to One above, who rules the
raging of the sea, for His safe guidance through the perils
of the day.
" During the ensuing night we lay in eighteen fathoms
water, with two bow anchors down and about two fathoms
of cable to each. The wind in part subsided, but blew
occasionally in severe gusts, which carried some fears of
our anchors dragging. The following morning the wind
had much abated, and we talked of a ramble on shore as
soon as the sea should go down ; but towards noon the
wind increased again and for further security we let go a
third anchor. Before night it blew a gale with occasional
squalls of extreme violence, and being but imperfectly
protected from the heavy seas, and hardly at all from the
winds which veered around to the southward, all our ap-
prehensions were again aroused. A fourth anchor was
100
CAPE HORN
dropped, but it fell on a rocky bottom, and was useless.
The lead was often thrown to ascertain by the soundings
whether we yet dragged. A heavy Cape Horn sea was
now setting into the harbor, and as the ship reared and
plunged with each passing wave we feared that every
lurch would snap the cables or drag our anchors. Our
fears were too well grounded ; the fact was evident by 5
P.M. that she had dragged. We still hoped that the wind
would soon abate and thus, in part, quieted our fears.
But the night was one of great anxiety — most dismally
dark with frequent squalls of hail and rain. At one time
the wreck of the vessel appeared inevitable. The wind
came out from the southeast, blowing in upon the land
and setting in towards a long reef mostly concealed by
heavy breakers. Had we dragged but little, or parted
our cables, the ship at a single crash would have been in
pieces among the rocks. Our situation would have been
little less critical had the winds favored our getting out
to sea upon the parting of the cables. The ocean a few
miles to leeward was literally sprinkled with rocky islets,
and guided by the furies of a tempest we should have
hoped in vain, in midnight darkness, to have threaded
our way among them, or even in the misty light of the
day just passed. So profusely were these rocks strewed
over this region that a part has been named the Milky
Way, in allusion to the countless stars in the celestial
Milky Way. The Furies and Jupiter rocks are similar
clusters; and together they make a continuous line of
dangers off the whole southwest shores of Tierra del
Fuego.
" There were few, if any, on board who did not have
some anxious thoughts about the chances and means of
getting ashore, in case the vessel should strike. There
was little ground, however, for the faintest hope of life
in this event ; the cold waters would have benumbed the
most vigorous; and if perchance one or two had reached
the shores they would have met a more miserable death
by being dashed among the rocks, or by starvation upon
these bleak and barren lands, — his the happiest lot who
was soonest dead. To avoid all disquietude when death
comes so near is scarcely possible ; but, thanks to the
saving grace of our dear Redeemer, I looked with little
dread on its approach. I committed myself to the care
lOI
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
of our Heavenly Father and retired to rest. It was a
night, however, of broken slumbers.
"We hailed with delight and gratitude the dawn of
the approaching day. The wind, however, continued its
dreadful howlings, and, to increase our fears, one of our
anchors was gone. The men, with deathlike stillness and
a measured tread, as if marching to their own graves,
walked in the cable : it had separated at the anchor ring.
Another, one of our stern anchors, parted in the after-
noon ; the work of death seemed to be in rapid progress.
We were left with our bow anchor and one stern, the
latter useless as already explained, the former our only
dependence. — No — not our only dependence, for a God
that heard prayer still ruled, and the feeling pervaded the
ship that in Him was our only safety. True, it is so at
all times — but how slow are we to think and feel it !
" Night came on again, — and such a night! Early in
the evening the winds blew with fresh violence, and every
pitch of the ship was feared as the last. How anxiously
we followed her motion down as she plunged her head
into the water, and then watched her rising from those
depths, until with a sudden start she gained the summit
of the wave, and reeled and quivered at the length of her
straightened cable ! The anchor dragged more or less at
each of these heavy lurches, and the cable rumbled like
distant thunder upon the rocky bottom, — it still rings in
my ears. Towards 9 P.M. our hopes were fast fading — it
was evident our anchors must soon yield ; and in expecta-
tion of it, the crew, who had stood in readiness to jump
at the moment, were ordered on deck to wait the event.
The rumbling of the dragging chains became louder and
more frequent till at last it was almost an incessant peal —
announcing that the dreaded crisis was fast approaching.
We dragged on, and as the wind slightly favored us, we
bid fair to escape the point of Noir Island and find our
grave among the Fury rocks ; but when off the point the
veering wind drifted us to within half the ship's length
of the rocks. It was an anxious moment. We were
already in the breakers that swept over the reef : the ship
rose and fell a few times with the swell, and then rose
and careened as if half mad : her decks were deluged with
the sweeping waves, which poured in torrents down the
hatches. At this moment, with a sudden spring, she
103
PATAGONIANS
broke loose from her fastenings ; and as the wind hauled
back a little she cleared the point and hastened out to
sea, sounding a dirge with her dragging chains. The
cables were instantly slipped, and the men at the order
sprang to the yards and loosed sail. A sandbeach con-
venient for beaching the vessel would have been hailed
with joy: but a merciful God had planned it otherwise.
Providentially, the clouds had dispersed during the last
hour and a starlight sky favored us. The storm also
began to abate and the winds to veer to a more favorable
direction. We succeeded in rounding the southern cape
of Noir Island, and, as the wind continued hauling, we
were enabled at last to head free of the coast. With each
passing hour we breathed more and more freely.
" Morning dawned — a morning of exultation to us all.
Our scene of danger was already far away — the gale had
subsided to a fresh breeze^ — and with the' reefs shaken
from the topsails and topgallantsails set, we were speed-
ily hastening to the open sea.
" As all our anchors but one, of small size, were lost at
Nbir Island, Captain Long determined to sail direct for
Valparaiso, instead of returning to Orange Bay. We are
making rapid progress with a fair wind, and shall look for
our port in fifteen or twenty days. "
Here is a letter of a different character addressed to
Dr. Gray, who had evidently made some inquiries about
the possibilities of missionary work in Patagonia.
TO ASA GRAY
Glimpses of the Patagonians : The Ways of Primitive Men
" Valparaiso, May 6, 1839.
" . . . In consequence of losing our anchors, the
Relief went on to Valparaiso without returning to Nassau
. Bay as ordered. The Peacock has since come in. We
expect soon to see the other vessels. It is a secret to be
divulged by government, how far south they reached.
So I can only tell you that the Peacock went beyond the
French. , . .
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LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
" I shall be happy to do whatever lies in my power
towards furthering the objects of the Missionary Society,
and shall gladly comply with your request. As yet, I
have nothing encouraging to write, although we have
passed over one region that you specially mentioned. We
saw but few of the natives at Orange Bay. These were
an extremely degraded and filthy race of beings, of short
stature, probably one of the most debased races on the
globe. They came off to the ships in their boats, with
no clothing but a piece of sealskin which covered only
a part of the back. One of these had nothing about him
but a sling, which hung over his shoulder. This, I be-
lieve, is their only weapon. We were unable to get from
them a word of their language on account of their pro-
pensity to imitation. The only native phrase they spoke
was something like Yamoskanak, and this was always in
their mouth. Whatever question was asked them, they
would repeat it, word for word, enunciating each syllable
distinctly, and almost as correctly as a native of New
York. Ask them, ' What do you want ? ' They say,
' What do you want, yamoskanak,' laughing at the same
time, apparently as much diverted with us and our novel-
ties as we with theirs, and making as much sport with us
as we attempted to make with them. They have no vil-
lages or settlements in the neighborhood of the bay. We
found a few scattered huts in the coves along the shore,
but they were all unoccupied. They are small, conical
structures, made by inclining a series of poles, placed in a
circle, so as to meet at the top. This is rudely thatched
with weeds and brush, leaving a hole on one side to crawl
in, and another at the centre above, for the smoke to go
out. They are but a poor protection from the cold and
rains of this inclement region, — not a single utensil, not
even a stone or log to sit on, was found in any of them.
A few half-burnt logs lay about the centre, and large
numbers of shells were scattered about the rude cabin,
indicating from their fresh appearance that the place had
not been long deserted. Large heaps of shells lay near
the entrance, and probably shell-fish form their principal,
if not their only support. With nothing but the cold
earth to rest on, no clothes to protect their bodies during
the severe winters, it is difficult to imagine how they
exist. They call loudly on the Christian world for in-
104
VIEWS OF THE ANDES
struction, both as to what concerns their temporal com-
forts and spiritual interests, for they are but little above
the brutes. But they inhabit one of the most inhospitable
climates in the world, subject to violent cold rains a large
portion of the time, and a long and severe winter. Hills
in the neighborhood, not more than twelve hundred feet
high, had their summits, in February, their summer,
covered with snow. On the whole, I could not advise the
place as a ground for missionary operations. Probably
some other point in Tierra del Fuego might be found less
objectionable. At Good Success Bay, near the eastern
extremity, the natives, though equally degraded, are a
more intelligent and manly race. I did not see them,
however. This I understand from the ofificers of the
Relief, which vessel stopped there. They average six
feet in height, and went around with bows and arrows
neatly made. But I can say nothing respecting its
eligibility as a missionary station."
Here is a letter in another mood, addressed to his sister
Harriet. It was written after a ride of a hundred miles
to Santiago, the capital of Chili, and an ascent of a
mountain about 8000 feet high in order to see in their
majesty the snowy summits of the Andes, which rise 16,-
ocx) or 18,000 feet in height, a few miles back of the city.
TO HIS SISTER HARRIET
Views of the Andes
"Valparaiso, May 29, 1839.
" We left Santiago in a gig for the foot of the moun-
tain, which was distant about fifteen miles. A ride of
two hours brought us to our stopping-place. Here we
procured a guide who was accustomed to the route, and,
mounting our horses, commenced the ascent. Our path
at first ran along a deep valley, through which a little
water was gurghng quietly along ; only a temporary quiet,
however, as the torrents rush down the gorge with tre-
mendous violence during the thawing of the mountain
snows. Winding our way up the sides of the valley, we
105
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
reached an open square, covered here and there with a
Httle shrubbery, along which our route continued for an
hour or two with little to interest or attract attention.
As we advanced, however, the scenery of the mountains
increased in grandeur, and the acclivity became more
steep and difficult for the horses. Our ears were often
saluted with a noise much resembling the watchman's
rattle, which, on nearer approach, was found to proceed
from guanacos, an animal of the deer kind, which lives
on the mountain. After about four hours' toilsome ride,
we reached the summit of an elevated ridge, from which
we looked down on the surrounding country. It was a
most magnificent scene — the fertile plains of Santiago,
the numerous mountain ridges surrounding it, and, tower-
ing above all, the Andes, mantled with snow and streaked
along as far as the eye could reach, make one of the most
glorious prospects any country can afford. We now
turned to the right, following along the summit of this
ridge, making a gradual ascent, and in the course of half
an hour came in sight of the snowy peak we had before
seen back in Santiago. A valley of about 4000 feet
separated us from it ; and from its bottom this peak rose
up to a height of at least 8000 feet, the most perfect
picture of utter desolation I ever witnessed. It was a
scene that I not only saw, but could feel through my
whole system, — it was so impressively, so awfully grand.
It appeared like an immense volcano whose fires were but
just extinguished. We continued in sight of the peak
the remainder of our route, and gradually diminished the
deptli of the valley that separated us from it as we pro-
gressed. At four o'clock P.M. we reached the region of
snow, and a desolate region it was. A few turfy Alpine
plants were seen where a streamlet was running down the
valleys, — all else was dreary and lifeless. We collected
some of the plants and rocks, and as it began to grow
dark soon after sundown — about 6 P.M. — we early prepared
for our night's accommodations. We laid down our furs,
etc., which we had brought up under our saddles, and
formed as soft a place as we could to rest our bodies, —
placed the saddles near our heads to keep off the winds,
and then snugly stowed ourselves away under three thick
blankets. The winds whistled over us by night, and in
the morning we found ice one-half an inch thick but a
iq6
IMPRESSIONS OF CHILI
few rods off; but we were tolerably comfortable and
made out to get about eight hours' sleep out of the twelve
we were in bed — between dark in the evening and the next
morning's dawn. Our poor horses stood up all night long
without anything to cover them and nothing to eat; a
specimen of the utter indifference of the Chilians to the
comforts of their horses. We finished the small stock of
provisions we had with us in the morning and commenced
our descent on foot, in order to make collections of speci-
mens along the way. Seven hours found us at the foot,
and two more back at Santiago. The trip, though one
of exposure, had no injurious effects upon my health.
Indeed I never felt better than when up the mountain.
We only reached the limits of perpetual snow. The
mountains yet rose some four or five thousand feet
above us.
" Santiago is the finest city of Chili, and much the
largest. It is the residence of all the wealth and aristoc-
racy of the country, and some of the houses are very
beautiful; the part fronting the street never gives any
idea of the richness of the building within the court."
The following letter, addressed to his former teacher,
the editor of the American Journal of Science, begins
with an apology for not writing before, and a slight demur
at the restrictions upon scientific correspondence imposed
by the regulations of the squadron.
TO BENJAMIN SILLIMAN
Excursions in the Andes. Impressions of Chili
" Off Tahiti, Society Islands, Sept. 12, 1839.
" During this long time we have visited but six ports,
— Madeira, Rio Janeiro, Rio Negro, Orange Bay in
Tierra del Fuego, Valparaiso, and Callao, all of which,
excepting two, are regions hitherto often explored, and
not proper cruising ground for an exploring expedition.
The wind-up of the affairs of the Relief, and dispatching
her home in consequence of the loss of her anchors in
a gale off Tierra del Fuego, caused the last two or three
weeks of detention. You have probably heard of our
107
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
perilous situation at that time, and I will not therefore
dwell on the subject here.
" The South American ports, though not terra incog-
nita, have proved of much interest, especially those of the
western coast. The Andes were the first objects we saw
on approaching the coast. They form the background in
the Chilian and Peruvian landscape. The eye climbs
mountain beyond mountain in the front of the scene, and
finally rests on the snowy summits of this towering ridge.
The general character of it was more massy, more even in
its outline, and unbroken in its surface, than my fancy
had pictured to me. Here and there, however, conical
peaks towered aloft, and by their wide, turreted shapes
and columnar structure diversify the character and
heighten the grandeur of the scene. I made two excur-
sions among the Cordilleras, and in one reached an eleva-
tion of 12,000 feet. I had the pleasure of sleeping
through a windy night near several acres of perpetual
snows. Water froze half an inch thick within a few feet
of us; but the interest the scene had excited, together
with a couple of blankets, and a fire of Alpine plants,
kept us comfortable through twelve hours of darkness.
These Alpine plants, as they were the first I had seen of
them, astonished and delighted me with their singulari-
ties. Although regular flowering plants, they grow to-
gether in the form of a short tuft, the whole so hard and
the leaves so closely compacted that the foot struck
against them scarcely makes more impression than on the
adjoining rocks ; they can prevent in these wintry regions
the escape of the little heat they originate. One little
flower particularly attracted my attention and led my
mind upward to Him whose wisdom and goodness were
here displayed. It was scarce an inch high and stood by
itself, here and there one, over the bleak, rocky soil. A
small tuft of leaves densely covered with down above
formed a warm repose for a single flower which spread
over it its purple petals. I should delight to add some
of these strange forms of vegetation to Benjamin's flower-
garden. But they lose all their peculiarities in a warmer
climate. Even the hard Alpine turf, a few hundred feet
below, spreads out and assumes the forms of the plants of
temperate latitudes. I find that these mountains are
mostly composed of — I was about to transgress. I, how-
108
EARTHQUAKES
ever, may state that I have been highly interested in the
geology of this region, and I only regret that I had no
opportunity to make my observations more extensive by
crossing the mountains to Mendoza, situated at their
eastern foot. Dr. Pickering, Mr. Rich, and others who
were at Lima much of the time our vessel remained at
Valparaiso, ascended and passed the summit of the Peru-
vian Andes. They reached an elevation exceeding 16,000
feet. I will add one fact, as the knowledge of it by your-
self will prove of no injury to the expedition; it is, that
Dr. Pickering collected a large ammonite near the sum-
mit of the Andes at 16,000 feet elevation. The existence
of extensive deposits of red sandstone and accompany-
ing shales in this part of the Andes has long been
known.
" The frequency of earthquakes in Chili has given a
peculiarity to the style of building. The houses rarely
consist of more than a single story, and throughout the
villages, and very generally in the large cities, they are
formed of a framework of reeds, covered externally with
mud and plaster. The better houses have the form of a
hollow square, surrounding thus a large court, to which
the people retire during an earthquake. The ceilings are
rarely plastered, but are sometimes covered with cotton
cloth. Such houses might fall about their heads without
any very serious accident. The yielding nature of the
reeds, moreover, will bear a heavy shaking before they
fall. Very many of the houses scattered through the
country are not even plastered outside, but consist of
reeds or brush very imperfectly woven together, and
some are even made of corn-stalks. Often while riding
by at night, I have seen, through the open brushwood
wall, the inmates collected around a blazing fire — it was
late in autumn and the nights were cool — made in the
centre of their shanty-like houses. I have rarely enjoyed
myself more than in some of these huts at night, while
on our excursion through the country to the mountains.
Everything so novel. Ourselves, with the family, col-
lected around a few coals which men brought in and
emptied on the floor — the bare earth ; the large wooden
bowl of casuelct — a kind of fricassee of chicken with pota-
toes and other vegetables, hot with pepper — around which
we collected on rude stools, and each one with his wooden
109
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
spoon dipping into the common dish ; our bed, made up
in the common apartment on the earthy floor, and con-
sisting of the blankets ('pillows ') which form part of the
appurtenances to a Chilian saddle ; these and many other
circumstances which I cannot now state gave a peculiar
zest to these Chilian excursions.
" In Lima, Peru, the effects of earthquakes are every-
where apparent. Walking through the city, we see
scarcely a spire, among its numerous churches and cathe-
drals, which has not been shattered by earthquakes or
lost some of its architectural ornaments.
" Since leaving this coast we have been sailing among
the coral islands to the west and north of Tahiti. They
are truly fairy spots in the ocean, as you read in Ellis's
work on Polynesia. I would say something about them,
but the shortness of my page compels me to draw to a
close.
" We shall remain in Tahiti a week or a fortnight.
We have just planned a jaunt to the summit of the high-
est peak and then across the island. From Tahiti we go
west, and by December or January shall be at Sydney,
to start on another polar voyage."
TO HIS BROTHER JOHN
Impressions of Tahiti
" Society Islands, Sept. i6, 1839.
" We arrived here on the 13th after a delightful cruise
among the numerous coral islands to the northward and
westward of Tahiti. These coral islands are truly fairy
spots in the ocean. They rise but a few feet above the
water's surface, and are covered with a luxuriant tropical
vegetation. On one of these, which was not inhabited,
the birds were so tame that they permitted themselves to
be taken from the bushes and trees, and flew about our
heads so near us that we could almost take them with
our hands. They did not know enough to fear. The
whole island was almost a paradise. These islands have
a circular or oval form, and consist of a narrow rim of
land surrounding a large lake. Some are fifty miles long
and the lake so broad you cannot see across it. Tahiti
no
TAHITI AND SAMOA
(often spelt Otaheite) is, you know, one of the principal
missionary stations in these seas. I have seen Mr. Wil-
son, who is one of the oldest of the missionary residents.
He has been here thirty-eight years, with the exception
of a year and a half's residence in New Zealand, where he
went for his health, a few weeks subsequent to his arrival.
He is a venerable old man. Nothing since I left home
has afforded me stronger emotions of pleasure than seeing
and conversing with one whose life has so long been de-
voted entirely to the service of God, amidst trials and
difficulties of which you can have no conception. He
lives to see his labors blest to his people: for many a
Christian, through the blessing of God, is numbered in
his little flock. Among our guides on an excursion the
other day there was one who called the others around
him and prayed aloud every morning about daylight, and
at night on retiring. They were delightful sounds to
come from the mouth of a native of Tahiti. The mis-
sionaries have very much to contend with, much that is
very disheartening. I mean the influence, immoral in-
fluence, of foreign seamen. I have witnessed it since I
have been here and have wept over it, for it is truly
lamentable to see this simple-hearted people led away by
the worthless characters that often go from our ships
among them."
TO HIS MOTHER
Religious Work in the Samoan Islands: The English
Missionary, Rev. John Williams
"Sydney, New South Wales, Dec. i, 1839.
" My letter from the Society Islands, I fear, caused
some disappointment. The facts were sad to me, and as
much so, I know, to you all, who have viewed the mis-
sions there as one of the most signal instances of the
triumphs of the Gospel. How lamentable that the im-
moral tendency of the intercourse with foreign shipping
should have so successfully counteracted the instructions
of the missionaries and to a great extent destroyed their
influence among the people! But this class of persons
outnumbers the missionaries by hundreds. An almighty
III
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
arm alone could shut out such floods of vice, and shall
we not pray with increased fervor that His arm may be
outstretched to rescue the people from further declension,
that His spirit may be felt among them, giving power to
the truths of the Gospel, and strength to the ministers of
the Gospel on this island ?
' ' Follow me to the Navigator Islands and I will show
you a brighter picture, one which has made my heart
glad. The mission here has been established less than
four years, and through the grace of God the change has
been truly great and must cause a thrill of joy in every
Christian heart. At Tutuila, one of this group of islands,
we remained nearly two days; a short time, but long
enough to see the effects of the Spirit of God among the
people. Nearly the whole population have given up
their heathen rites and nominally at least profess Chris-
tianity. The church under Mr. Murray contains but few
members, I believe not over twenty or twenty-five;
though many others have given evidence of Christian
character. He admits them to church membership with
great caution. The natives are truly hungering for the
bread of life. Such solemnity as prevailed through his
church during divine service on Sunday might put to the
blush many a congregation at home. Not a smile or a
whisper, not a wandering eye could be seen through the
whole of a large congregation. They seemed to drink in
every word that was uttered, as if they were indeed the
waters of salvation to them. The influence of the Bible
does not leave them as they leave the church : but in all
their dealings with us we found them strictly honest and
moral. Mr. Murray, the missionary at the station we
visited, is a very devoted Christian. Judging from his
pallid countenance, he appears to be already wearing
away in the cause of Christ.
" On the island of Upolu, which contains about 30,000
inhabitants,two-thirds have nominally embraced Christian-
ity ; the heathen part of the population present a striking
contrast in their habits, manners, and character, when
compared with those who have received the light of the
Gospel. Among the latter, books are sought for with
great earnestness, and day after day they look anxiously
forward to the publication of some new tract or new por-
tion of the Bible from the printing-press of the station.
112
JOHN WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY-MARTYR
Needles are in great demand among them, indicating
habits of industry and a strong disposition to improve
their condition. They are perfectly honest and kind in
all their dealings. The church on Sunday presents a very
interesting sight. It is a large round or oblong-oval build-
ing, without seats or floor; the earth being covered with
mats made of cocoanut leaves, or some other vegetable
production of the island, and upon these mats the natives
are collected, sitting closely together. The minister
stands towards one side of the building, sometimes before
a rude desk, and there delivers that bread of life to the
listening audience. They have been taught some of our
sacred music, and always sing in the course of the Sunday
exercises. The natives, especially the children, learn
very rapidly, and often are able to read well after three
months' study. Men of forty and fifty years are among
the scholars at the schools, but their progress is much
slower than the younger children. I spent two nights
at Mr. Williams's house, the principal missionary of these
islands, the author of Missionary Enterprises in the South
Seas, a work you are probably acquainted with. I passed
the time very delightfully with him and his family. He
is a man of about forty-five years, extremely kind and
affable in his manners, and very zealous and energetic in
the cause to which his life has been devoted. He first
planted the Gospel standard on the Navigator Islands,
and a day or two before we sailed, the missionary brig
Camden left with Mr. Williams and eleven native teach-
ers, for the New Hebrides, there to introduce the same
standard, by leaving the native missionaries among them.
I spent two days at the station where the printing-press
is established, with the missionary, Mr. Stain. They
have just issued the first number of a small periodical in
the native language, which is to continue, and will come
out every two months. The printing is done by natives,
and for style would do credit to more experienced work-
men.
" Postscript. December 5, 1839. The day after the
date of my letter we received the sad intelligence of the
death of the missionary, Mr. Williams, whom we parted
with at the Navigator Islands. He was massacred, with a
Mr. Harris who accompanied them, on Erromango, a small
island among the New Hebrides. I send you a paper
"3
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
which will give you the particulars of his death. The
news was to me a severe shock ; we had parted with them
so shortly before, all in high anticipation of success, and
expecting to meet us again at Sydney. He leaves behind
a wife and one small child, besides a son who is lately
married. He has finished his work on earth, dying a
martyr in the very act of planting the Gospel on a heathen
island.
" I shall not go south myself. The scientific corps
leaves the vessels here to join them at New Zealand on
the return of the squadron from the south."
TO EDWARD C. HERRICK
Impressions of Australia
" Maitland, New South Wales, Jan. 28, 1840.
" We reached the port of Sydney early in December,
with the expectation of making preparations immediately
for our cruise in the polar seas. The scientific corps were
detached soon after as a worse than useless appendage to
an expedition cruising among the ice; for we should find
little or nothing in natural history in those frigid regions,
and would only add to the number of mouths that must
be filled from the stock of provisions on board. We were
satisfied of this ourselves, and very gladly took advantage
of the opportunity afforded to employ the season more
profitably in New Holland and New Zealand. We shall
soon be in the latter islands, where we are to meet our
vessels again in the course of next March. We have
been treated with extreme courtesy and kindness since
we landed here, all, from the government down, striving
by their attentions and favors to gratify our wishes or
further our objects in our several departments. Invita-
tions come from every side to visit this and that part of
the country and to accept of their hospitality ; horses are
sent to our doors to aid us in our excursions ; letters of
introduction forced on us to every gentleman along our
way — boxes of specimens often offered us. Indeed, we
have found open doors and open hearts everywhere. I
might mention many names of persons whom I shall de-
light to remember, but I will only state one or two that
114
INTERVIEWS WITH NATURALISTS
are already familiar to your ears. Alexander McLeay
lives, you know, with his family, residing in a splendid
mansion about two miles out of Sydney, near the borders
of one of the coves of Port Jackson. He is a venerable
old man, his remaining locks, for he is partially bald, now
white with age. He has a rather large, portly frame, and
unites in his countenance kindness and cheerfulness, with
an expression commanding respect and even reverence.
I saw him one evening occupying the chair as presiding
ofificer at a missionary meeting in Sydney ; and how de-
lightful it was to find a man who has been so eminent
in politics and science combining religion with his other
qualities ! He tells me that he is now in his seventy-third
year. His wife still lives, and is a fine, matronly old
lady, well becoming such a husband. Wm. S. McLeay,
his son, is better known to you as the author of the cir-
cular system of classification ; though by the by I have
heard it suggested that his father helped him to some of
the ideas. Though not a man of striking superiority in
his general physiognomy or in the first of a conversation
with him, his broad forehead and sharp piercing eye in-
dicate the deep thought and philosophical mind which are
so evident in his writings.
" Another name, with which you have long been con-
versant, and, as I now learn, one with whom you corre-
spond, is the Rev. W. B. Clarke — of London memory.
We have spent many days together and for a week geol-
ogized in company over the mountains of the IlHwawa
district. He is a strange man for a clergyman. Geology
certainly comes first with him ; next theology. . . .
He is very enthusiastic in his geological pursuits and in-
tends soon to give the geological world an account of the
rocks of New South Wales. ... I find he has been
a very voluminous writer, having edited a religious maga-
zine, besides attending to his theological duties, his geo-
logical observation, and all his various speculations on
various subjects which have tired many a reader of Lon-
don. An article oi four hundred ^Sigts, he informs me,
he is about publishing in the Geological Transactions on
the Crag of Suffolk."
On the return of his comrades from their dangerous
115
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
voyage, he gathered the particulars respecting the dis-
covery of an antarctic continent, and communicated them
to his friends at home.
Discovery of an Antarctic Continent
TO HIS BROTHER JOHN
" Bay of Islands, New Zealand, March 3, 1840.
' ' A word or two to let you know how and where I am,
and where we are going, is all I have at present time to
write. Our vessels have arrived from the cruise south,
excepting the Peacock, which, we hear, put in at Port
Jackson and will join the squadron at the Tonga Islands.
They have all fared well in the cold regions, being free
from sickness and accidents, excepting the Peacock, which
was for a while blocked up in the ice and not extricated
till she had met with severe injury. You will probably
see a more particular account in the papers from those
who experienced the dangers, and I do not therefore
stop to give the details. We have made some splendid
discoveries, have traced the shores of an antarctic con-
tinent, at intervals, for 1500 miles, obtained specimens of
the mineral productions, and sketches of its mountains.
The French, who are now on a voyage of discovery, in
the ships Astrolabe and Zd^e, were about ten hours too
late to be first discoverers. The Vincennes saw the land
on the morning of the 19th of January, and the French
on the evening of the same day. So you see we were
before them. But it is useless for me to particularize
here, as a complete account will probably be immediately
published.
" We leave in two or three days for Tonga, and from
there shall go to the Feejees. After surveying the
Feejees, we next start for the Sandwich Islands, where I
am anxiously looking for letters and news. Our north-
west coast will be our next destination."
TO BENJAMIN SILLIMAN
" Bay of Islands, New Zealand, March 4, 1840.
" In the first place we have just welcomed our friends
from the Polar regions, with whom we parted some three
116
AN ANTARCTIC CONTINENT
months since at Sydney ; and, what is of more general
interest, they tell us of the discovery of an immense con-
tinent occupying the greater part of the area within the
Antarctic Circle. The Vincennes first fell in with the
land in longitude 97° E., between (£° and 67° south lati-
tude. A high range of mountains appeared over the icy
barrier that intervened. They followed along the barrier
to the eastward, observing the land seven or eight times
in the course of forty-five degrees of longitude, and again
saw indistinctly indications of it in 165° E. The barrier
of ice forms a nearly continuous bank through the whole
of this distance, and has been surveyed as if a line of
coast. Its firmness and general appearance leave no
doubt that the whole is connected into a single vast con-
tinent, and we may say that we have traced it for at least
1 5CX) miles. After this running along the barrier for about
seventy degrees of longitude, the Vincennes found herself
in a deep bay, and the ice trending to the northward.
This stopped farther progress to the eastward along that
latitude, and the ship was some days in beating to the
northward to pursue again an easterly course along the
barrier. They at last found the barrier again resuming
its easterly direction, and in the same latitude that Cook
fell in with it, and not far west of his position. These
facts appear to imply that the land also trends to the
northward at this place, and afterwards continues again
its easterly course. They had delightful weather most of
the time, and were enabled to sail quite close to the bar-
rier. The Vincennes was only ten or a dozen hours in
advance of the French expedition in the first discovery
of the land. The Astrolabe and ZdUe, according to a re-
port by the commander, in the Hobart Town (Van Die-
men's Land) papers, fell in with it on the evening oi the
19th of January, and the Vincennes has it logged as seen
on the morning of the same day, — close on our heels, but
not before us. The French vessels were satisfied with a
sight of one place alone, and immediately returned to
Hobart Town. The crew have been in a wretched state
with the scurvy, and I understand that previous to the
cruise south they had lost thirty men within a few months,
and among the number four ofificers. We have had no
sickness on board, or very little indeed, and the ofificers
have all returned in better health than when they left.
117
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
They have brought up some large masses of rock which
were found imbedded in the ice-specimens of the con-
tinent. They consist of granite, basalt, red sandstone,
and granular quartz rock.
" The vessels have all come in here, excepting the Pea-
cock. She was compelled to return north shortly after
reaching the ice, having been blocked up in it and very
severely injured. They were in imminent danger for a
while, but were at last extracted with a loss of the rudder
and forefoot. She was so badly injured that in all prob-
ability she would not afterwards have stood a gale of
wind ; they were, however, favored with fine weather and
reached Sydney in safety.
" You will probably read a full account of these dis-
coveries in the papers, as Captain Wilkes has sent home
an extended report with copies of the charts. My letter,
as you know, cannot be made public."
The next letter, to Dr. Gray, gives a vivid picture of
the scientific work of the expedition. It is written with
great freedom, as to a colleague who had missed the op-
portunity to go with the explorers.
TO ASA GRAY
A Review of the First Half of the Voyage, — for his Scien-
tific Friends
" Feejee Islands, June 15, 1840.
" We have been threading our way for the past month
among the reefs and shoals of the Feejee Islands, some-
times aground, and often within but little of it. We are
now so accustomed to thumps against the reefs that they
seldom interrupt me in my studies or investigations be-
low. The danger of navigation here has not been mis-
represented. Throw a large number — some hundred or
a hundred and fifty — of islands together, and so thickly
that sailing among them you are rarely out of sight of
land ; run out from these islands long coral reefs, in dif-
ferent directions, above and below water; and among
these, numerous sunken reefs of all sizes from a few feet in
diameter to many miles, and you have a facsimile of the
118
AMONG THE FEEJEE CANNIBALS
Feejees. The last two hundred miles we have been sail-
ing within the reefs adjoining the two largest islands,
beating our way through a narrow passage in some places
less than half a mile wide, getting on reefs and getting
off as well as we could, and now we have arrived at the
place of rendezvous of our vessels preparatory to leaving
these islands. Our vessel has sustained no injury, except
it may be the loss of a few square feet of copper. The
English surveying ships, the Sulphur under Captain Bel-
cher, and a schooner, which arrived within three weeks
after us, on their way home from our north coast, have
been less favored than ourselves. The first harbor they
entered they ran aground, knocked off the rudder, and
suffered other serious damages. We have supplied them
with some of the ironwork for a new rudder, and the
Vincennes is assisting them in cutting one. They say
their vessels have been aground seventy times in the
course of their cruise on the northwest coast. By the
way, the English are looking very seriously to the pos-
session and occupation of the Columbia River territory.
" The Feejees have proved a very interesting group for
us. We have found the natives a cruel, treacherous race
of cannibals, preferring a roasted Feejee to the fatted hog
(a white man, they say, tastes bitter — tame animals, you
know, never have the flavor of wild game), and some-
times killing a slave when no enemy has been taken
prisoner. But three or four days since a man belonging
to the village near us was murdered, roasted, and eaten
by a neighboring tribe. In our intercourse with them,
we have always found them kindly disposed towards us,
and at some of the ports I presume there would be no
danger in the most familiar intercourse, even without the
protection of arms. At others, your head would not be
long your own if trusted among them. In the interior
there are villages of mountaineers who have never seen
salt water ; we have given them a wide berth. At Rewa
we managed to get into our possession one of the chiefs,
who was instrumental some years since in the massacre of
the crew of a Salem vessel. We intended to bring him
with us to the United States to gratify the people at
home with a sight of one of these man-eaters. To catch
him we detained the king of the place and the next
highest chief on board, threatening them with transporta-
119
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
tion unless Vindovie (the murderer) was brought. The
large canoe belonging to the king went after him under
the direction of one of the chiefs and brought Vindovie
the next morning. He was put in irons before the
natives, but promised that he should not be punished
with death. One of his slaves, a Sandwich Islander, was
shipped with him as his barber — he has an enormous head
of hair, dressed with all the care of a Broadway dandy,
though h la Feejee. Most of the natives showed little or
no feeling at parting with him. Two of his slaves were
very desirous of sharing his fate. When the natives were
ordered out of the ship they still remained sitting at
Vindovie's feet, where they had placed themselves, and
did not move till an officer started them up; they then
kissed his feet and went reluctantly on deck. We have
just come to anchor at Mathata, where we shall use strata-
gem or force, as the case requires, to secure a second
chief, who but a few months since murdered and ate a
sailor belonging to the Leonidas, a Salem vessel now
among these islands. He was alone in the boat, and had
been trading with them ; by their offers of articles for
trade he was enticed ashore and knocked on the head.
We can scarcely calculate upon the issue of this affair.
The natives have got wind of our intentions, having
some time since learnt what had been done at Rewa.
Burning villages is of no avail as punishment. They
only laugh at it. A few weeks will repair all the dam-
age. They have heretofore sneered at men-of-war, as
they had done nothing here excepting burning a town,
and it is very important that some more effective mode
of exciting their fears should be adopted.
" We have established a set of regulations among them
by obtaining the signatures of the chiefs, and we believe
that in future intercourse with the Feejees will be com-
paratively safe. There are a few Wesleyan missionaries
here, and I understand that they are daily expecting
large additions to their numbers. Much has been done
towards obtaining a foothold among them. At Rewa
they have been living in the most wretched condition,
occupying one of the native huts, which is old and very
leaky, and placing no confidence in the kindness of the
natives. Their lives have been threatened several times.
A young boy, son of a chief, once asked Mr. Cargill if he
1 20
THE VOYAGE HALF OVER
did not know that he could have his brains knocked out
if he chose. I saw the insolent youth — he had scarcely
passed his twelfth year, and like all children of his age,
or younger, had not a rag of clothing about him. The
visit of our vessels, under the blessing of God, will change
the aspect of things. Captain Hudson has been very
active in the cause of the missionaries. The king prom-
ised him, before he left Rewa, that everything should be
done for their comfort, a new house built for them, and
that he would attend to their instructions. May God
sustain them in their trial, and abundantly bless their
labors, that these isles of the south may also awake and
join in the chorus of their " Redeemer, King, Creator."
Captain Hudson has on all occasions used his efforts on
behalf of the missionary cause, and paved the way for the
reception of missionaries at several ports where there are
none now residing. There is a printing-press at Rewa,
and small portions of the gospels have already been
printed. They lost a large package of type, which was
stolen by the natives. As this was some of their spare
type, they were not conscious of it till the package was
afterward brought them.
" You see our time is fast passing away. It is already
twenty-two months since we left home, and as we imagine
ourselves within the latter half of the voyage, the time of
our arrival there is a frequent subject of speculation and
conjecture. Our discoveries south — the Antarctic con-
tinent, which occupies the most of the frigid zone, sur-
veyed for 1500 miles by the Vincennes — have probably
reached you long before this in the newspapers. Also
the perilous situation of the Peacock in the ice cannot be
news to you. During all this cruise, we (scientifics) were
at New South Wales and New Zealand, where I passed
three months very delightfully.
" I assure you, you are much missed among us. Dr.
Pickering is heart and head in the botanical line, but he
often wishes you were here, and speaks of your lost op-
portunities. In the early part of the cruise there was
considerable dissatisfaction in the expedition; but now
things pass smoothly and pleasantly. Dr. Pickering tells
me that between four and six thousand species of plants
have been collected. He went twice to the summit of
the Andes, and wherever we have been, he is earliest off
121
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
and latest back. Couthouy, to our great sorrow, is away
from us on account of his health. He took cold after a
severe exposure on one of the Navigator Islands, which
settled on his lungs. His health would not permit his
accompanying us to New Zealand, and it was thought
advisable for him to take the earliest opportunity of going
to the Sandwich Islands. He left Sydney for Tahiti, and
we anxiously hope to join him again at Oahu. The doc-
tors at Sydney could give us no flattering prospects of
his recovery. The change of climate may, however, give
a favorable turn to his complaint. He has been extremely
active, and but for his imprudent zeal he might be with
us now in his usual health. Hale has found among these
islands and in Australia an exceedingly interesting field
for philological investigation, and you will find on our
return that the field has been thoroughly investigated
and many novelties brought to light. Rich has done so-
so. Peale has got some fine birds and butterflies. . . .
Agate is very busy, sketching and taking portraits when
not engaged in making botanical drawings. He has an
admirable series of portraits. Unlike those of the French
voyages, they may be trusted as not only characteristic,
but accurate likenesses of the individuals. Drayton has
made an immense collection of zoological drawings. He
is not in good health, but has frequent ailings which lay
him up occasionally for six days or so; he smokes too
many cigars and takes too much medicine to be well.
Brackenfidge, in the botanical department, is invaluable.
He has suffered somewhat from fever and ague, which
he took in the Peruvian Andes, but has now recovered.
And now shall I speak of myself ? This reminds me of
an article I once read in Rafinesque' s Journal, headed (if
I remember right) ' American Geologists.' He gives a
short sketch of each of them and then closes with a
long and detailed account of his own travels and personal
history. However, believing that you take an interest
in what is done and will properly interpret my feelings
and motives, I will add a few words upon the results of
my endeavors.
" In the geological line, I shall be able to show you
some long manuscripts ; their other qualities I leave for
you to judge of at a future day. Accompanying the
manuscripts there are about one hundred sketches of
J33
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHES
mountains, craters, basaltic causeways and caverns, faults
and dykes, etc. My fossils, which include a large col-
lection of the coral vegetation of Australia, were packed
up without examination. Since arriving among the
Feejees, I have taken hold of the corals, and figured 175
species, with the animals of most of them. Among
Crustacea I have made collections and drawings when
geology was not requiring my time. My drawings are
mostly confined to the smaller Crustacea, and in all prob-
ability very few will turn out described species. I count
up now 400 species, figured or painted, of which nearly
150 belong to the old class Entomostraca. In geology,
I shall take the liberty of disputing some of Darwin's
views (see voyage of Beagle) as to the rise of the Peruvian
coast, the structure of the Andes, and also other points
which I leave unmentioned, as I have dwelt long enough
on self.
" We are bound from this place to the Sandwich
Islands, and we look with anxiety for our arrival there.
When the mail comes but once a year, the opening of
the letter-bag is a matter of great interest, and is an-
ticipated with strangely commingled feelings. There
are so
Here, with this unfinished sentence, the pen of the
writer is dropped. Then comes, nearly four months
later, a postscript :
" October 9th. We reached the Sandwich Islands nine
days since, after a tedious voyage of fifty days from the
Feejees. Ten days more and we should have eaten up
the last of our provisions. Everything was low and poor
enough. We had been on an allowance the whole of the
voyage. I am rejoiced to find Couthouy here in good
health. He is not wholly free of his complaint, yet is so
strong that a few days before our arrival he ascended the
summit of the highest mountain of Hawaii, 14,000 feet,
without feeling any inconvenience from it. We learn
now that we shall not be at home before spring of 1842.
Many make sorry faces about it, but the northwest coast
still remains to be visited, and that will occupy the whole
of next summer. Our stay among the Feejees was pro-
tracted to three months."
123
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
TO EDWARD C. HERRICK
Mauna Loa
"Sandwich Islands, Honolulu, Oahu, Nov. 30, 1840.
" Our late arrival at these islands, late in consequence
of a three months' delay among the Feejees, will lengthen
our cruise nearly a year. The coming summer is to be
spent, as we now expect, on the northwest coast, and we
are just on the point of leaving in the Peacock on a win-
ter's cruise to pass away the intervening time. It is
rumored that we shall go to the islands lying near the
equator to the southward and westward, the Kingsmill
group. Ascension Island, etc. ; the Vincennes remaining
here.
" Captain Wilkes will shortly sail for Hilo, on Hawaii.
He intends taking his pendulums and other instruments
to the summit of Mount Loa, about 14,000 feet high,
where he will spend a fortnight or more in his observa-
tions. The season at that altitude will be unpleasant
from cold winds and snow ; but they will probably pro-
vide well against these inconveniences. Two or three
hundred natives will be employed in carrying up the
instruments, the portable houses to contain them, etc.,
and arrangements are already made for them to start
immediately on the arrival of the vessel. We of the
Peacock have been favored with a jaunt of ten days
on Hawaii, in which time we travelled from Kealakeakua
Bay (the scene of Cook's death) across to Byron's Bay.
I took the southern route, passed over about 170 miles,
all but 30 on foot. I was astonished with the tameness
of the lofty Mauna Loa. I have never seen a mountain
one-third its height so utterly destitute of all sublimity
or grandeur as this mountain appeared to us, walking along
at its foot. It is an evenly rounded elevation, without
one valley or gorge, one peak or ridge, to diversify its
surface. I can compare its shape to nothing better than
a saucer turned upside down. There are some gullies
and slightly elevated ridges, which the traveller occasion-
ally meets, but they do not appear in the distant prospect.
Its slopes are so even and gradual that the top is much
farther off than appears to the observer, and this accounts
for his disappointment. The volcano, which you know
124
ASCENT OF MAUNA LOA
is on the flanks of this mountain, about 4000 feet up, was
in considerable action while we were there. The deep
gulf, which forms the crater, is surrounded by precipitous
walls on all sides. About a thousand feet down there is
a flat terrace running around, called the black ledge, which
is in some parts half a mile wide. From this terrace there
is a further descent of three hundred feet by equally per-
pendicular walls of rock, at the bottom of which is the
scene of action. In three pools, one of them a thousand
feet in its larger diameter, the lava was briskly boiling, —
not the sluggish fluid we generally conceive it to be, but
in appearance nearly as fluid as water. I descended to
the lowest depths, wandered over the heated lavas,
through the hot vapors and sulphurous gases, and reached
one of the boiling pools. The surface was in constant
motion, throwing up small jets six or eight feet, which
fell around the sides of the pool. There was no explo-
sion, and only a dull grumbling sound. All was as quiet
as the boiling water in a pot over a kitchen fire. Occa-
sional detonations, however, warned us of the dormant
force below. At night the scene was sublime beyond
description. The deep red glow of the boiling lake,
reflected by the walls of the crater, and lighting up the
canopy of clouds which overhung this fiery gulf, made a
most sublime and awful spectacle at night, when all else
around was black darkness. There was an eruption
about six months since, and a large stream flowed down
to the sea. The first appearance of the lava stream took
place about eight miles from the crater. The stream
near the sea is yet hot in many parts, and numerous
steam holes are scattered over the surface. But I am
going beyond my intended bounds in my remarks. You
know nothing is for publication.
" Last August, the meteoric shower was forgotten by
our commodore. Two nights were cloudy, and the other
I gave directions to be called, which were forgotten, and
so I lost it also. I waked about half an hour before sun-
rise and saw nothing unusual. November 13th has just
passed. I was on my way to Hilo in the schooner and
half forgot it myself, and was again forgotten by the per-
son I directed to call me. However, I was up an hour
before sunrise, but owing to the unsteady position of the
schooner, — her masts and sails continually changing the
125
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
quarter of the heavens open to view, — I could not obtain
any satisfactory estimate of the number during the hour,
in any one position. I was struck with the fewness of
them, — scarcely equalling an ordinary night. It was,
however, a bad time, the moon having passed the full
but a day or two before.
TO HIS SISTER HARRIET
Discovery of Bowditch Island : Alarm of the King
" At Sea, Lat. 30° N., Long. 178° W., May 27, 1841.
" As you see above, we are not far from the Sandwich
Islands ; a few days more, we trust, will terminate a long
cruise of six and a half months, affording us a sight of
civilized faces again, and intercourse with many friends
endeared to us at our former visit to these islands. We
are sailing along with a gentle breeze on a sea of almost
mill-pond smoothness. All around is so serene and quiet,
the air so pure and refreshingly cool to us who for a long
while have been under a torrid sun, that an involuntary
smile of delight seems to pervade the whole ship. For a
few days past the sea has at times been covered with a
light and fragile shell of bluish-purple color, called by the
learned lanthina. Each one floats along under a little
mass of imitation foam, made by inflating with air a thin
cellular sac, attached to the animal near its head. It is
one of the most beautiful provisions of the Creator. It
seems not only to float the animal and its house, but is
also a protection from the sea-birds, which must often
mistake this imitation foam for the real spots of froth, and
thus let their victims escape. Along with the lanthinas,
we find a little blue crab, which takes to the shell and
cruises around with it. The crab sometimes uses its
hinder legs, or those on one side, as oars, while he holds
on by the others,and thus paddles away his little skiff with
an air of authority, as if he were the rightful owner. Now
and then he swings off in search of food and returns again
or makes for some other shell near by, which he occupies
as before, without disturbing the lawful occupant, till
ready for another predatory excursion. Such are some of
the trifles that occasionally divert us at sea. Albatrosses,
126
DISCOVERY OF BOWDITCH ISLAND
petrels, and other birds are now about our vessel, and
these, with an occasional shark and the gambols and spout-
ings of whales, diversify our little world of sky and water.
" I have lately finished a letter to John, which will give
you some account of the beginning of the cruise we are
just finishing. We left the Sandwich Islands early in De-
cember last, to spend the winter months under the equa-
tor or in its vicinity. I carried John along to the Duke
of York's Island, north of the Navigator group. From
the Duke of York's we sailed for the Duke of Clarence's,
which we passed without landing. The next night we
came near running down a low island not in the charts.
It was seen by the officer of the mid-watch just in time
to avoid its dangerous reefs. As it proved to be a new
discovery, we named it Bowditch island. We delayed a
day or two in the neighborhood, and visited the principal
town. The island is one of the low coral structures so
common in these seas. A few low green islets are dis-
tributed along a coral reef, which curve around, enclosing
a lagoon. The village was situated upon one of the
smallest of these islets on the west side of the island, and
was so hidden by the crowded cocoanut palms, that we
could see from the ship only a few huts and low coral
walls along the edge of the grove.
" Nearing the shore in our boats, we observed the
natives collected together on the coral flats in front of
the village. One or two advanced toward us, waving a
white mat as an emblem of peace, and thus encouraged,
we landed and followed on, with our arms, however, at
our sides, ready for any emergency. Instead of hostility,
we found the natives terrified with our strange appear-
ance. The king, a venerable old man of gray hairs,
trembled in every limb, and a tear now and then started
down his affrighted face. Cocoanuts and fine mats —
almost their only property — were brought forward to
conciliate us, and thrown in heaps at our feet. Many
made very significant motions, intimating that we were
gods come down from the sun. We showed them every
kindness we could devise, giving them presents of fish-
hooks, knives, and various trinkets, and endeavored to
satisfy them that we were men like themselves. But
when we left them to return aboard, they asked us
whether we were now going back to the sun. To pacify
127
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
the old king and his subjects, we continued sitting with
them for an hour or more. I felt a deep pity for the old
man. His gray locks hung thickly about a face marked
with a dignity and gentleness that would have become a
royal sage. A face so venerable agitated with terror,
with a tear trickling from his bedimmed eyes, and decrepit
limbs trembling with fright, called forth our strongest
sympathies. The natives finally became somewhat
familiar with us, and we took the liberty of going to the
village. The women were off in their canoes within the
lagoon, lying a long distance from the shores. A green,
velvety moss covered the village plain beneath the shades
of the tall palms. The houses were scattered through
the grove without much regularity, and though rude in
structure, were yet neat and well became the scene
around. They are low buildings containing but a single
apartment. The roof comes down within thirty inches
of the ground, and is thatched with grass and leaves.
The door is low and small. The furniture is of the
simplest kind, consisting of a few cocoanut shells, as
drinking-cups or water-vessels, and mats that are spread
on the ground to sit or sleep on. I had longed to see a
race of savages wholly unacquainted with white men, in
order to realize the description of Cook and other naviga-
tors, and here I have been gratified. We gave an account
of them to the missionaries at the Navigator group,
whither we afterwards sailed, and probably this island
will before long be blessed with the light of the Gospel.
We were too short a time with them to learn much of
their superstitions. Their god was a rude column planted
in the ground and covered with mats.
" We reached the Navigators a few days after — the 6th
of February — and once more enjoyed the society of the
missionaries of these islands. C3n Tutuila the state of
the natives was peculiarly interesting. There had been
a continual revival for some months. Nearly all were
inquiring and joined in religious devotions, and many
have been united to the church. Mr. Murray, the earli-
est missionary there, a most devoted Christian, has been
absent for a while to visit the missionary station in the
South Pacific, with the hope of improving his health,
now much debilitated by his constant exertions and con-
finement at the station."
I2g
THE KINGSMILL CANNIBALS
TO HIS MOTHER
Exposure to the Cannibals of the Kingsmill Islands
" June 7, 1841.
" Three times we have made islands at night, and de-
scried them through the darkness just in time to avoid
striking. The islands were thickly scattered through the
sea, all of them low, and some, naked reefs, which only
give notice at night of their frightful nearness by the dull
roar of the surf. Moreover, strong currents, varying
often in direction, set us at times far from our reckoning
and increased our dangers. Once we got aground. It
was an hour before daylight. During the night we had
drifted twenty miles, from the vicinity of one of the
Kingsmill Islands to the shores of another ; and the first
notice we had of our perilous situation was the heavy
grinding of the ship's bottom on the coral sand. Provi-
dentially the ship had been laid to (her headway stopped)
a few minutes before, and we touched but gently, and
shortly afterwards we were again free, though still un-
certain in which direction safety was to be found, as we
knew not where we were. We were, however, guided
out, and escaped without further injury. Had we been
under way, we should undoubtedly have stuck hard and
fast, and might have had a long residence with the can-
nibals of the Kingsmill Islands.
" On the previous evening our schooner was left
aground in the lagoon that forms the centre of the island.
She was compelled to wait during the fall and rise of the
tide before she could get off, and she succeeded in rescuing
herself at the same hour with ourselves. A few canoes
came off during the night; their good intentions were
suspected, and a few shots fired to scare them. The war-
conches were heard during the night from every part of
the island, and in the morning they saw evidence that a
strong attack upon them was meditated by the natives ;
but by their early escape from the lagoon they avoided
the necessity of fighting and firing in good earnest for
self-defense."
129
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
TO CAPTAIN WILKES
Shipwreck
" Loss of the ' Peacock ' on the Bar of the Columbia River,
July i8, i8^i
" In reply to your orders of July 30th, requesting a
statement of the facts relative to the loss of the Peacock
and the causes of the same, I make the following report
under my personal observations.
" I stood by Captain Hudson when, after two unsuc-
cessful attempts to find a clear passage through the
breakers, he again put the ship's head about and steered
for the river. The officers at the masthead reported an
open passage, a little to the northward of our previous
position, and approaching it. There were no breakers
to deter us from proceeding. As this was the only place
we had seen thus clear, I felt fully assured that this was
the passage across the bar, and was gratified when Cap-
tain Hudson gave orders to head in, confidently expect-
ing that in another hour we should be at our anchorage.
The first intimation we had of shallow water was the
striking of the ship. Till then the sea had not broken
on this part of the bar. Soon after we were surrounded
by heavy breakers, and the ship, which refused to obey
her helm, continued forging farther on the bar, striking
with great violence. The afternoon of Sunday and the
following night the destruction of the ship was hourly
expected, and before morning the working of the pumps
was insufficient to keep the water from gaining in her
hold. On Monday morning, preparations were early
made for landing the crew on the adjoining shore. Baker's
Bay, about two miles distant. The violence of the
breakers had somewhat abated at low tide, and when the
tide changed, the boats were rapidly dispatched. A
canoe arrived alongside just before starting the boats and
afforded us a pilot to the shore. The scientific corps and
the public documents were sent in the first three boats
and the canoe ; and the boats, returning, continued to take
off the crew till the height of the tide again made heavy
breakers upon the bar and rendered it unsafe. One boat
was capsized, and the crew, who narrowly escaped dr-own-
130
LIFE AMONG THE FEEJEES
ing, were picked up by another boat near at hand. The
boats at last returned without reaching the ship, leaving
about twenty persons on board, among whom was the first
lieutenant and captain. In the afternoon, at ebb-tide,
the boats again left for the ship and finally reached her.
In the course of two hours they returned with all that
remained on the wreck. As the captain landed from the
last boat, he was received with hearty cheers. We were
all ashore, and we felt convinced that, under the Divine
blessing, we were indebted to the coolness and judgment
of Captain Hudson for our safety. Our clothes were left
aboard, by order, to be brought ashore in case it was pos-
sible after the crew were safe. The next morning the
ship was under water. ' '
TO A COMPANY OF CHILDREN IN UTICA
The Ways of the Feejees Half a Century Ago
( Written by Dana after his return)
In a letter dated at Washington, in March, 1843, ap-
parently written at the request of a Sunday-school in
Utica, Dana makes the following comments upon the Fee-
jees. The letter repeats some of the phrases employed
in the writer's letters to his family, but is so characteristic
that it will not be abridged. It gives in a familiar style
the observations of a naturalist upon the manners and
customs of the primitive islanders, and is quite worth
reading.
" . . . At the Feejee Islands, which are situated
within the warm regions of the tropics, the year is one
perpetual summer and the trees are always green. The
cocoanut and breadfruit grow there, and other produc-
tions of warm climates, and the forests with their vines
and flowers are rich and beautiful. Among the cocoanut
groves, and beneath their shade, lie the clustered huts or
villages of the natives. In the distance the houses look a
little like stacks of hay, for the roofs, which come down
almost to the ground, are thickly covered with dried grass
or leaves, instead of shingles. The sides of the hut, on
131
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
account of the extent of the roof, are only four or five
feet high, and the people have to stoop to go in and out.
The weather is so warm that these sides are left open, or
are closed only with mats on the side exposed to the
winds.
" These houses or huts are nothing but open sheds — a
single room without chairs or tables, without a stool or
a bed. The floor, which is nothing but the bare ground,
is covered with mats upon which the men, women, and
children are sitting or lying down. Fishing-poles and
nets, and rolls of large mats or bundles of native cloth,
lie across the beams overhead ; and a few cocoanut shells,
used as drinking-cups or water-vessels, hang up against
these beams, with a calabash or two of water, and per-
haps a bundle of cooked food tied up in leaves. This is
in general the house furniture of the savages throughout
the Pacific islands. Their huts are usually kept clean,
and when a guest arrives, instead of offering a chair, as
with us, a mat is spread out for him to sit down on. A
mat or large leaf, laid on the floor, forms their table-cloth
and table, and their fingers serve for knife and fork. The
common apartment just described is also their common
bedroom at night. They lie down like cattle together, a
pillow consisting of a stick like a broom-handle supported
at each end on short legs, and a cover of native cloth.
" No books, not a scrap of writing, is to be seen about
their huts. In schooling they are behind the very small-
est of you, my children, for they do not know their A,
B, C's. Indeed, they have no alphabet, and the thought
never occurred to them of spelling words with letters and
writing them down. At one of the Navigator Islands,
when first visited by missionaries, a missionary wished to
send for a hatchet to a white man that was building a
house a short distance off; and after writing on a chip,
as he had no paper at hand, he gave the chip to a native,
telling him that if he would take it to the white man,
pointing yonder to the carpenter, he would give him the
hatchet. The native looked up into his face to see if he
was in earnest ; for he thought the missionary was trifling
with him in sending him off with a chip. After some
hesitation, he at last trots off to the place, and, doubting
still, yet with a look of curiosity, he cautiously offers the
chip to the carpenter. The native expected to see him
132
BOWDITCH ISLANDERS AGAIN
throw it down in anger that he should have offered him
a thing so worthless — a mere chip. But the carpenter's
eye catches the writing upon it ; he takes it, looks at it
seriously a moment, and at once, without a word, goes
for the hatchet and gives it to the native. He was
amazed. He picked up the chip, which the carpenter
had dropped, and turned it over and over, eying it on
every side. Finally he concluded that the white man's
Spirit of God was in the chip — that the marks of the mis-
sionary had put the spirit there, and that the spirit had
made known to the white man that the missionary wanted
the hatchet. He wrapped the chip carefully in a piece of
tapa, or native cloth, and then with loud yells and violent
gestures, ran off to his companions to tell them about the
wonderful chip.
" I will tell you another instance to show you further
the ignorance of the Pacific savages before the intercourse
with foreigners. At a small island visited by the squad-
ron, some distance from the Feejees, the natives knew of
only two other islands in the world, and these were but
a few miles' distance from their own. These three little
spots of land, with the water around and the sun and sky
overhead, constituted, as they thought, the whole world.
It would take but a very small geography to contain all
they know of our earth. They would have nothing to
say of the continents, Europe, Asia, Africa, and America,
for these do not exist, to their knowledge — nothing of
any land but these three little islands, not over twenty-
five square miles in all. When our ship came, they sup-
posed we were from the sun. They knew that we were
not from either of the other two islands, for we were
white men, the first they had ever seen; and instead of
canoes, we sailed in a large ship which they called a float-
ing island. They thought we might have sailed off from
the sun, when it comes down to the water at night, or
leaves it when rising in the morning. They therefore
received us as beings from another world. The affrighted
people thought us gods, and brought out large numbers
of cocoanuts and mats, and all the little property they
had, as a peace offering. The chief, a venerable old man
of gray hairs, trembled from head to foot, and even shed
tears in his terror. They were glad when we left them,
for they dreaded us to the last, and as the boats were
133
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
pushing off from the shore, they asked us in their native
tongue, pointing to the sun, 'You going back again ? '
" The Feejees Hve in so warm a climate that they have
little need of clothing, and in fact both men and women
go almost naked, and the little children quite so, till they
are ten or eleven years old. They are a dark, reddish-
brown race of savages, and are rendered the more savage
in appearance by an enormous head of black frizzled hair.
They comb it out from the head, and let it grow till it
forms a bushy covering three or four inches thick, and
looks like a huge cap made of bearskin. It is often
dressed for the day by filling it with clay or mud, and
children as well as men and women may be often seen
with their heads thus plastered over, sometimes with
white lime and sometimes with a red or white clay; after
working or walking awhile, the mud comes streaming
down with the perspiration and dries in dirty streaks
across their faces. Like the inhabitants of more enlight-
ened nations they pierce the ears to receive a jewel or
ornament ; but fashion with the Feejee leads him to en-
large the hole till it will take in a large shell an inch or
more in thickness, or will hold two or three cigars, or an
old pipe and a bundle of tobacco, for this nauseous weed
has already reached those shores.
" On landing among them, they flocked around us in
great numbers and expressed surprise at everything they
saw. ' Venaka, venaka ' (good, good), was the cry on all
sides, as they examined our buttons, our clothes, our
shoes, hats, knives, pistols, etc., and especially the white-
ness of our skins. We were generally in such numbers
or so near our ship that there was little danger in going
freely among them, for they would have been glad of the
chance to have killed us.
" You will think, my dear children, that the Feejees
must look quite savage enough without artificial aids, but
when getting ready for a fight they make themselves
more hideous still by painting their faces. Some of them
blacken it all over ; others paint it half black and half red ;
others, all black, except a ring of red around each eye, or
a few streaks of red on the forehead or face. Imagine to
yourselves three or four hundred half-naked savages, with
their black or black-and-red faces, each bearing a heavy
war-club or a long spear, and the whole dancing and
134
WARS OF THE FEEJEES
flourishing their clubs and spears in all the attitudes of
war to the music of the loud war-songs, — and you have
before you a very common scene among these savages.
They are now ready for the battle, and are engaged in
the war-dance, — looking and acting more like a band of
fiends from the world of darkness than human beings. . . .
" The Feejees are engaged in almost constant wars.
The people living on the seacoast have usually an upper
town or citadel, built on the top of some high hill or
mountain peak, to which they betake themselves in case
of an attack from sea. You descry these towns from a
long distance, situated on some almost inaccessible sum-
mit, where there is barely room enough to plant their
houses. At one place we found that the son of an old
chief had formed a party and rebelled against his father ;
and the old chief, for the safety of himself and his adher-
ents, had fled to the mountain town, which was perched
like a bird's nest in the very top of a peak a thousand
feet high. Our captain, after a few days, succeeded in
getting the son and father aboard ship, and obtained a
promise of reconciliation. The father was glad to stop
fighting, and warmly welcomed his son again to his affec-
tions. But we had left them only a short time before we
learnt that the war had been renewed. We lay at anchor
for nearly a month off a large and populous town on one
of the islands, and became quite interested in the chief
and his people. Presents were often exchanged. He
gave us large tortoises and pigs, bananas and other kinds
of fruit ; and we gave him knives and hatchets, and cotton
cloth, which they value much. I was often out with them
in their canoes, sailing around the coral reefs. Since
leaving there, we have heard that the place has been en-
tirely laid waste, and the people either massacred or
driven to the mountains — and all this because the chief
refused the king of the islands his daughter for a wife.
" The natives stand in constant dread of one another,
and usually go armed even in their daily intercourse.
They have little regard for life, and the most trifling
thing will induce them to commit murder; and this is
true throughout the Pacific where there are no mission-
aries to teach them better. At the Navigator Islands, a
native acknowledged to us that he had killed an Ameri-
can sailor for his jacket. Another, for as good a reason,
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
has murdered four or five sailors, and one of them lay
sick at his house when he came up with his club and with
savage coolness knocked him in the head.
" Their wars are occasionally very bloody. When a
village is taken, the men are put to death, and the women
and children are made prisoners; sometimes the boys
are driven in a band to the town of their cruel conquerors,
who then set their own children to work killing them with
clubs to teach them how to fight. What schooling this,
my children! But such is education among the Feejees,
— they are taught every species of vice : to lie, steal, and
murder, and to glory, too, in their brutality. He is the
best warrior who can butcher his fellow-man with the
most coolness, and this is the height of their ambition.
But this is not all. They are cannibals. They not only
murder, but cook and eat their murdered victims. The
whole village assembles at the feast, and the night is one
of general debauchery. The body, which has been baked
as they would bake a pig, is pulled to pieces and devoured
with hearty appetites. The dance and song follow, and
scenes too horrid for description, and these, their cannibal
orgies, they continue till daylight.
' ' While at anchor off a Feejee village we were informed
that two of their men had been killed a few days before
in a fight with a neighboring village, and eaten by the
murderers. A few weeks afterwards, at early daylight,
we dropped anchor at this place, and the anchor was no
sooner down than the water was alive with canoes, pull-
ing toward our ship. As they reached us we perceived
that some of them had human bones in their hands and
other bones were lying in the canoes. Soon after, they
climbed up the ship's sides and brought their bones with
them, and while aboard continued eating the human flesh,
as unconscious of notice as we would eat an apple. They
had just finished the carousals of the night, and these
were the remains of the cannibal feast. The skull of one
of the men that was eaten was purchased of them, and is
now at Washington. A large charred spot on the top of
the head tells its own tale of horror.
" We were told that they sometimes keep their prison-
ers penned up, and take them out as the appetite of the
chief calls for gratification ; and at times, if without their
victims, a slave is butchered for the purpose. There is
136
RELIGION OF THE FEEJEES
no doubt that they have actually a relish for human flesh,
for they acknowledge that it is better than roasted pig,
and say that Feejee is better than white man.
I will tell you now a few things about the religion of
these savages, for, bad as they are, they have their priests
and their gods ; and their gods, too, are spirits, for they
do not make idols. These spirit gods, however, are
scarcely better than the idols of other heathen. Even
those savages that worship idols believe that their gods
are spirits ; but think that they will come down and dwell
in the carved block, after certain prayers and ceremonies
performed by the priests, so that the idol takes the place
in their minds of the spirit god it represents. They often
try to embody their ideas with regard to the character of
their gods, in the features or shape of the wooden god,
and the grotesque and often disgusting images they thus
make show how debased are their conceptions of the God
of Heaven. They sometimes make the idol with horns,
and the face grinning most frightfully ; sometimes with
the tongue run out twice its natural length, or with some
feature distorted ; and sometimes put the head of an
animal on the body of a man, and you would think from
seeing them that they worshipped nothing but the
devil, rather than the God we worship. They are gods
that they dread, and nearly all their ceremonies are for
conciliating a being they fear, instead of an homage to
one they love. The gods, as they think, can eat and
drink, dance and rolic, and can look with pleasure on
their heathenish practices, even the butchery of war and
the cannibal feast.
" But let me return to the Feejees. As I have said,
they worship spirits and make no idols; yet in their con-
ceptions they give a definite form to these spirits. The
great god is a huge snake that lives in a cave in the
mountains of the largest Feejee island. None now living
pretend to have seen him, but I believe they say a long
while ago their priests had communication with the Great
Snake. Besides this god there are other spirits of differ-
ent grades and powers. One, the second in rank, is the
Son of the Great Snake, and, in their superstitions, stands
at the door of the cave and receives the prayers of the
people, to pass them to his father. Each man has his
spirit or guardian angel to whom his prayers are more es-
137
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
pecially offered, and every object in nature, trees as well
as animals, the fountain and the brook, are supposed to
be attended by certain spiritual beings. Various animals
are held sacred among them. The most common of these
is a water-snake, banded with white and black colors,
which we often saw swimming about our ship. Some-
times each village or family has its own sacred animal —
usually a fish of some kind — and they deem it a sure
presage of death to kill one of them ; and so firmly is
this believed that death will follow through fear alone.
In each village there are one or more spirit houses
or temples which may be distinguished from the other
houses by a higher and sharper roof. In other respects,
neither inside nor out, is there much to attract atten-
tion. Here the people bring their first-fruits as an offering
to the gods. Piles of large cocoanuts, fruit, vegetables,
or fish may sometimes be seen here. They lie for a while,
and then are taken and eaten by the priests. There,
too, the priest offers prayers for the people. In these
prayers they ask for success in war and the destruction of
their enemies, a prosperous voyage in their canoes, good
crops, or luck in fishing, health and life, a good dance
and happy feast, and any gratification their savage natures
suggest. The priests pretend to look into the future, and
the people, from the chief down, have so much confidence
in them that they dare not go to war or enter upon any-
thing of importance without first consulting them. If
the priest assures them of good luck, they go, and are
confident of it; but if of hard luck, they will not move a
step. Before revealing future events, the priest pretends
to be for a while under the influence of the spirit, and
during that state of inspiration the future is supposed to
be made known. His body shakes most violently in
every limb and writhes as if in torture, while another
stands by and with a word every now and then urges and
encourages the spirit in his operations. The shaking fit
continues till nature is almost exhausted. When at last
ended, he declares in a solemn manner the oracle which,
as they think, has been revealed to him, and his words
are received as the words of God.
" Besides offerings of fruit and vegetables, they also
make sacrifices to propitiate their deities, and occasionally,
when any calamity is dreaded, or great misfortune has
CLOSE OF THE EXPEDITION
happened, or disease or famine prevails, they think their
god is so angry with them that he will not be conciliated
with the usual offering of pigs, so they select one of their
own number and butcher him to appease the angry deity,
as if by adding murder to all their other vices they could
please God.
" The customs of Feejee society always require them
to cut off a joint of the little finger for every near relative
that dies. I have often taken little children by the hand
and found one or two joints of their finger gone, and it
is common for grown people to be deprived of the little
finger of both hands. They have cut off one joint after
the other, till nothing is left. They are so cold-hearted
that they have no tears to shed for a deceased relative,
and the custom of society therefore requires that they
should amputate a finger-joint to show their grief. But
even this sacrifice is too small when a chief dies. Two
or three of his favorite wives are required to die, and are
buried with him to accompany him on his passage to
heaven. These women are strangled and are laid out for
burial at the same time with the chief. So completely
are they controlled by the customs of society or their
superstitions, that they will offer their own necks to the
rope that is drawn around them by the savage execu-
tioner. . . ."
If there are letters extant from Dana with respect to
the latter part of his voyage, they have escaped my
observation. On the homeward route there was little
opportunity for postal communications.
139
CHAPTER VIII
THE REPORTS OF THE EXPEDITION; 1 842 ONWARD
Preparation of Three Quarto Reports on the Geology, the ZoSphytes, and
the Crustacea of the Expedition — In Washington and New Haven —
Difficulties Respecting the Publication of the Reports — Letters to
Gray — Characteristics of the Three Reports.
FROM this time forward the letters of Dana are of a
different character. There are no more tales of
adventure in the distant seas, and the confidences of an
absent son to his parents are not as frequent as they were,
nor as detailed, though they lose nothing in affection.
On the other hand, relations were quickly established
with the foremost naturalists in America and Europe.
For several years — more than a decade — the absorbing
duties of the explorer consisted in the preparation of
three voluminous reports entrusted to him. Mr. Dana
was first appointed in the field of geology, and his ob-
servations and deductions are given in a large quarto
volume of 756 pages, with a folio atlas of 21 plates (1849).
Later, however, in part because of the return of one of
his colleagues to the United States, he assumed charge
also of the Crustacea and zoophytes. These combined
departments gave full scope to his zeal and industry.
The results of his work in these departments of zoology in-
clude a Report on Zoophytes, a quarto volume of 741 pages,
with a folio atlas of 61 plates (1846); and a Report on
Crustacea, in two quarto volumes aggregating 1620 pages
(1853) accompanied by a folio atlas of 96 plates (1854).
140
THE EXPEDITION REPORTS
These three reports will be more particularly spoken of
later, but it may be mentioned here that a large part of
the drawings of the plates in both works were made
by his own hand. Before considering the character of
these works and the difficulties encountered in printing
and publication, it will be of interest to follow the
author's life.
Soon after the explorer came home, his father re-
arranged his business, and James, who had prudently
saved the most of his compensation while at sea, made an
investment in the store at Utica, of which his brother
George became the manager. The elder brother, as a
silent or non-resident partner, contributed to the capital
and shared in its profits, but had no responsibility for the
transaction of affairs. In July, 1843, he writes to his
sister Harriet:
" A partnership will probably be formed, but without
requiring me to be actively engaged at the store. This
plan enables father to carry out his intention of leaving
the business. George can explain to you the proposition
as it now stands. It is not absolutely necessary that I
should reside at Utica, as I take no active part in the
business, and my time will be devoted to science, as here-
tofore my expectation. Whether I live at Utica or not is
yet to be decided."
Notwithstanding this partial provision for the future,
and his annual compensation ($1440) from the expedition,
it was necessary to look forward. His future career was
still uncertain, quite as it was when he returned from the
cruise on the Mediterranean. Where could he look for a
salaried position ? The openings for a student of nature
were very few, either in the colleges or museums of the
country or in the service of the government. But Dana
did not become anxious. Each day brought its pleasant
duties; his circle of friends was widening; his reputation
was growing ; and he was, as ever, absorbed in work.
141
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
For a while he dwelt in Washington under positive and
irksome restrictions as to the employment of his time.
He found there little scientific companionship. The
Smithsonian Institution was not then founded; there
were no national museums of importance. There was a
dearth of books. In a letter he describes a midnight
robbery in his boarding-house, and his immediate and
successful search for the thieves, followed by their arrest ;
but this was the only exciting incident of which there is
a record. Vexations and annoyances arose respecting
the government publications, and this involved a great
deal of letter-writing. Endeavors were made to discredit
some of the naval ofificers who had been responsible for
the conduct of the expedition. The commander was
subjected to a court of inquiry, and vindicated from all
the charges but one. From all such controversies Dana
kept aloof as far as he could, and he succeeded very well.
He had no time to waste on trifles, no grievances to be
aired, no rivalries to maintain, no reclamations to fear.
His eye was fixed on the end in view, — the increase of
human knowledge by means of elaborate, accurate, sys-
tematic publications in various branches of natural science.
There is no indication that Washington society cared in
the least degree to see the traveller or to hear his story.
Constant work was his constant solace. New Haven, his
scientific cradle, continued to attract him. He made
occasional visits there and ere long the attraction was
irresistible.
It is not a grateful task to mention the obstacles and
annoyances to which the scientific corps were exposed in
fulfilling the duties of publication with which they were
charged. There were many complaints and recrimina-
tions in respect to the conduct of the voyage, and a great
deal of time and patience was consumed by official in-
quiries. As if this were not enough. Congress adopted a
benighted policy in respect to publication. The number
142
JAMES D. DANA
1S43. Age 30
DIFFICULTIES OF PUBLICATION
of copies of the reports to be printed was narrowly re-
stricted. These were to be sent to the sovereigns of the
world and to a few libraries of commanding importance.
Hence, at the present time, a complete set is but rarely
seen. Two of the best sets are now owned by the New
York Public Library. Sets more or less perfect may be
found in Washington, Baltimore, Boston. Years after its
appearance, Dana's friend. Dr. Wells Williams, happened
to see exposed for sale, in a Chinese shop in Canton, an
elegantly bound copy of the Geology that had been pre-
sented by the United States government to the Emperor
of China. He bought it and sent it to the author, in
whose library it remains, with the following note :
" This volume (and doubtless also the atlas of plates)
was sent by the U. S. government to the Emperor of
China. It was received by the Gov. -General in Canton,
but not forwarded to the Emperor because this required
that an ambassador should present it as tribute. Before
the English sacked Canton, the books were stolen from
the office and sold, this among the number. It was
afterwards purchased by my friend and schoolmate, S.
Wells Williams, and by him sent to me in the year 1858.
" J. D. D."
Dr. Williams, when speaking of this matter in New
Haven, added that the Chinese were very fond of pictures,
and that the atlas of plates had doubtless been scattered
among them. The above statement was written from
his dictation.
Vigorous protests were made against the methods
of publication adopted by the government. With un-
wonted warmth Dana was persistent ; Gray came to his
support, and the American Academy in Boston, the
Connecticut Academy in New Haven, and other influen-
tial societies combined in efforts to modify the conclusions
that were reached by Congress ; but all this met with but
partial success. The scientific men protested not only
143
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
against the narrow limitation of the number of copies to
be printed, but against an arbitrary and highly objection-
able supervision of their reports by men who were not
qualified to say what kind of treatment the subjects re-
quired. Much correspondence upon this subject has
come under my eye, but I see no reason for its full pub-
lication. The questions were settled long ago and are
not of interest to the present generation. It seems
necessary, however, to indicate explicitly the grievances
which caused such loud complaint.
The government, which was then represented for this
purpose by the Library Committee of Congress through
their agent, Hon. Benjamin Tappan of Ohio, prescribed
certain regulations as to what the scientific reports should
include. They were to be restricted to the " dis-
coveries " of the expedition. To these instructions
Captain Wilkes gave a narrow interpretation. For ex-
ample, he objected to the recognition of European names
for the zoophytes, and to Dana's thorough recasting, in
the light of his own researches, of the classification of
genera and species. Dana appealed to Tappan, who
reluctantly yielded the point in dispute, and gave free
scope to the author; but he was not brought to this con-
clusion until he received Dana's downright refusal to go
on with his duties unless the stringency was relaxed.
The other restriction — as to the number of copies to
be printed — was not due (as it appears) to economy, but
to a vague and unfounded belief that the set of reports
would be valued more by those to whom the copies
might be sent if it were known that only certain digni-
taries and institutions were to be thus favored. Of the
Zoophytes, for example, the government proposed to
publish one hundred copies, and to allow Lee & Blan-
chard, the publishers, to put out seventy-five copies more.
They strongly objected to Dana's printing twenty-five
copies at his own expense and for his own use. " It is
144
DIFFICULTIES OF PUBLICATION
certainly most shameful," he writes, " that I have not
received from government even one single copy of my
own work, except the sheets of one as it was printed,
which were to be used for reference in proof-reading,
making out an index, etc."
There was still another annoyance, by which some of
the scientific corps were more affected than Dana. It
was the use which Wilkes made in his narrative of the
notes and journals of his colleagues, who naturally de-
sired to have the opportunity of first announcing to the
public whatever might be new or striking in their ob-
servations. So far as I have discovered, there was no
charge against the commander of a dishonest use of these
materials, but the natural protest respecting priority and
mode of presentation.
At one time (in 1846) Dana was requested, if not
ordered, to live in Washington while preparing his reports.
"It is perfectly absurd," he writes to a friend, " that I
should be able to prepare my reports in a city where there
are no books! "
The reader who is not interested in these branches of
natural history may pass by the following correspondence.
It will, however, arrest the attention of those who are
familiar with the progress of science in America, for they
will here perceive the obstacles which were encountered
by an honest and thorough investigator in the final pub-
lication of his memoirs.
Mr. Tappan having released Mr. Dana from any re-
sponsibility respecting the actinias, and advised him to
confine himself to the corals, geology, and Crustacea,
Dana acquiesced in this request, and in the winter of
1845-46 brought to a conclusion the first of his reports, —
with that volume of beautiful colored plates which has
introduced so many persons to the aspects of living
corals. To his appreciative colleague in Cambridge he
wrote three letters, two of which justify the method that
145
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
the author had pursued, and the other is a confidential
revelation of the continued embarrassments of the author.
The following letters reveal the situation :
DANA TO HON. BENJAMIN TAPPAN
" New Haven, November 4, 1844.
I should long ago have reported to you the condition
of my Report on Corals, had it been so far advanced
that I could have given any definite estimate of the time
required to finish it. The summer has been laboriously
spent, and finally I have made out to give my descrip-
tions a scientific form and Latin dress, finishing them
with full references to authorities, and comparisons with
all known species. Much study has been required to
clear up the many doubts and obscurities with regard to
the received species, the same name having often been
applied to several distinct corals, and different names in
some instances to those that were identical. I have en-
deavored to make the report thorough and complete in
every part, and I cannot but hope that it may meet the
expectations of the scientific men of our country.
" With the exception of the references to the drawings,
which cannot be added till the engravings are finished,
the report will be ready by the opening of Congress, and
printing might commence in the course of the winter, if
the plates were completed. The number of new species
among the large corals, that is, exclusive of those of the
Sertularia and Eschara families, will be about 180."
BENJAMIN TAPPAN TO DANA
" Washington City, 14th December, 1844.
" I think you need not meddle with the actinias, but
confine yourself to the corals, geology, and Crustacea.
Mr. Drayton, with some assistance here, will prepare the
actinias. ' '
DANA TO TAPPAN
" New Haven, December 17, 1844.
" I had the honor of receiving your communication of
the 14th instant this morning. The conclusion that I omit
the actinias has relieved my mind of much anxiety. Al-
146
PROGRESS OF REPORT ON ZOOPHYTES
though in studying corals, I have necessarily acquainted
myself to some extent with this division of zoophytes, I
have still dreaded the responsibility of publishing the
new species of the expedition, as these animals are among
the most difficult objects in science to work up so as not
to expose the author to severe criticism. With such aid
as I might have obtained from different sources, including
Mr. Couthouy, I was willing to undertake it. I should
not have proposed the study of them, had I not believed
it incumbent on me to make the volume on zoophytes
complete in all its departments. ' '
DANA TO ASA GRAY
" New Haven, February 6, 1846.
" The work is a complete treatise on zoophytes, and
appears to consist of non-expedition matter. But in fact,
with few exceptions, the whole is based on expedition in-
formation. Errors in description of species and in the
laying down of genera were numerous in the books;
many species were confounded under a single name, and
the same name had been differently used by different
authors. I could not describe my own species, which in
the principal sub-order were nearly as many as all known,
without giving the characters, more definitely, of those
known. I could not correct the errors in any more con-
cise way than by describing anew. Patching on new
species to an old system, which the facts could not sus-
tain, seemed not to be my duty.
" The observations made were as important for correct-
ing errors as for instituting species, and I have conse-
quently undertaken to reconstruct the science, revise,
correct, and systematize the whole.
" I allude particularly to this, as it has been said that
some of the congressmen will or may object to the book
on the ground of the matter not appearing to be of ex-
pedition collection. — ' Too complete! ' "
DANA TO ASA GRAY
"New Haven, February 12, 1846.
" Your communication from the Academy of Arts and
Sciences shall be presented to the Connecticut Academy,
147
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
— a society that has good names in it, and which meets
once a month to talk science. Do you intend that other
societies should report to you on the subject, or direct to
the Library Committee, and had your report, or the same
in form, better be signed by a committee here, or another
form, alluding to your report ? Professor Silliman is
away now, but we will have his name on it. Your docu-
ment is a very excellent one. ... I am much pro-
voked that I must add a word of doubt as to whether the
coral volume can properly be reviewed in the next num-
ber of the North American, because the bills with regard
to it cannot be signed till Tappan comes from Ohio (which
they say will be in ten days). Wilkes thinks he sees in
the book a large amount of non-expedition matter, and
writes that his power does not extend so far as to allow
of his signing the bills. When this news first reached
me, I was vexed and had feelings as hard as a brickbat.
But I suppose Wilkes is right. Tappan saw the manu-
script, had it for three days in his hands, and finally gave
it his approval, remarking at the same time on the de-
scription of species not collected in the expedition, so
that I am safe, if there was any disposition to make
trouble. After the correspondence on the subject, I
should not wish to give the book for a review before it
has been presented to Congress. Perhaps you had better
prepare it, and if I hear about it in ten days or so I will
let you know. Hale's book is not under this encum-
brance, though actually as much liable to the objection
as mine, and the review of that can be published whether
mine joins it or not. My material, the result of the ex-
pedition observations, was sufficient for a reconstruction
of the science, and I have consequently made a complete
overhauling of the whole. In no other way could I have
brought out the results. The title-page has not yet
come ; but I am still expecting it.
" The plates are yet in the works, and not even half a
dozen are finished, and none of those are here. It will
probably be eight or ten months before they are all en-
graved. They will be hurried, as soon as we have our
next appropriation. They ought all to have been finished
before this.
" I will write you again the first news I get from
Washington. The next number of the Journal contains
148
THE CHARTS OF THE EXPEDITION
two citations from the coral book — one on the analysis
of corals, and another on the Cyathophyllidce. They
were printed before I had heard of the delay at Washing-
ton, and if they object, it cannot be helped, — there is no
review of it.
P. S. — If you examine Wilkes's charts, you will find
them well done. They are the surveys of his officers (as
well as himself) and among them were some excellent
surveyors. The Feejee chart is very far superior to the
French one by D'Urville, made after their late voyage, a
rival of our expedition. Indeed, we had a better chart
from our traders there, to start with, than that by D'Ur-
ville. His was the work of a few days, and ours of three
and one-half months. I mention these particulars, be-
cause, whatever may be said of him [Wilkes] and the
Narrative, the hydrographical department has been well
carried out. Wilkes, although overbearing with his
officers, and conceited, exhibited through the whole
cruise a wonderful degree of energy, and was bold even
to rashness in many of his explorations. ... I much
doubt if with any commander that could have been se-
lected we should have fared better, or lived together
more harmoniously, and I am confident that the navy
does not contain a more daring explorer, or driving
officer."
DANA TO ASA GRAY
" New Haven, Feb. 20, 184.6.
" One word about the plan of my books. I have
considered corals as animals, and whatever characters be-
longed to the living zoophyte have been mentioned first
in the descriptions ; afterwards, if any other characters of
importance were presented by the coral (that is, characters
not determinable except when it was stripped of the fleshy
portion), they have been given. As with an animal, the
animal as a whole is first described, and then any pecu-
liarities of the skeleton are mentioned. Coral is in gen-
eral an internal secretion ; you might as well say that a
man lives in his skeleton, as that the coral contains
polyps. ' '
The following account of the Zoophytes and Crustacea
149
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
is taken from the biographical notice of his father by
Professor Edward S. Dana.
" The large volume devoted to the zoophytes, and the
two volumes of the Crustacea, each work with an atlas of
beautiful plates, most of them drawn by himself, are clas-
sical works containing the descriptions of hundreds of
new species and with a philosophical development of
the classification and the relations of species that is
truly profound. It is in this matter of the classification
that the most important contribution to zoology was
made. This is true in general of both the works, and
though the last half-century that has elapsed has brought
some slight changes to the classification of the Crustacea
here developed, that of the corals stands to-day nearly
as it was given in the expedition report.
" The volume upon the zoophytes is what would be
called to-day a report on the Anthozoa, including the
description of the corals and coral-making animals and of
allied forms, of sea-anemones, and including also a few
hydroids. The value of the work is much increased by
the fact that it was the first time that any considerable
number of the coral animals had been described and
figured from life; the original colored drawings were
made by Mr. Dana from the living animals, as described
in the quotation below, taken from the preface. The
beautiful drawings of the sea-anemones, it should be
stated, were made by the artist of the expedition, Mr.
Drayton. The volume thus marked a new era in the
subject, since collections had hitherto been limited for
the most part to the corals themselves."
This quotation is then made from Prof. J. D. Dana:
" The field for geological investigation there offered
[the Feejee Islands] was limited, as we were shut out
from the interior of the islands by the character of the
natives ; at the same time coral reefs spread out an in-
viting field for observation, hundreds of square miles in
ISO
THE MISCHIEF OF FIRE AND WATER
extent. The three months, therefore, of our stay in that
group were principally devoted to exploring the groves
of the ocean, where flowers bloomed no less beautiful
than those of the forbidden lands, and rocks of coral
growth afforded instruction of deep interest. The speci-
mens were obtained by wading over the reefs at low tide,
with one or more buckets at hand to receive the gathered
clumps ; or, where too deep for this, by floating slowly
along in a canoe with two or three natives, and, through
the clear waters, pointing out any desired coral to one of
them, who would glide to the bottom, and soon return
with his hands loaded, lay down his treasures, and pre-
pare for another descent. When taken out of its element,
the coral often appears as if lifeless; but placing it in a
basin of sea-water, the polyps after a while expand, and
cover the branches like flowers. Four-fifths of the ob-
servations in this department were made at the Feejee
group."
" The number of new species of zoophytes described,"
continues Prof. E. S. Dana, " was over two hundred; in
the Report on Crustacea six hundred and eighty species
were described, of which upwards of five hundred were
new. A large part of the collections in Crustacea were
lost by the wreck of the Peacock on the shores of Oregon.
It may, perhaps, be worth recalling that many of the type
specimens were later destroyed by fire in Chicago, while
the copies of the published work suffered three times
most seriously in the same way. The first time was
during its publication at Philadelphia and resulted in the
loss of many of the original colored drawings, to the per-
manent injury of the work, since they could not be re-
placed. The two other fires were at New Haven ; the last
one (1894) largely destroyed the residue of the plates
when being collated by the binder preparatory to their
being presented to some friends of the author."
151
CHAPTER IX
THE PROFESSORSHIP IN YALE UNIVERSITY
Marriage — Aspects of New Haven and of Yale College in the Middle of the
Century — The Faculty of that Period — Overtures from Harvard —
Appointment in Yale — Inaugural Lecture — Varied Pursuits — Char-
acteristics as a Teacher — Estimates of his Pupils — Prolonged Ill-
Health.
SOME months after his return from the Pacific, Mr.
Dana announced his engagement to Miss Henrietta
Silliman, daughter of his former teacher, Benjamin Sil-
liman,and sister of his future colleague, Benjamin Silliman,
Jr.* The marriage took place in New Haven, June 5, 1844,
and after that New Haven was Dana's permanent abode. f
Those who live at a distance, and others whose memory-
does not go back to the middle of the century, may per-
haps take an interest in a sketch, though it is only a
* Her two elder sisters were already married — Maria to John B. Church,
and Faith to Oliver P. Hubbard, Professor of Chemistry in Dartmouth
College, now living in New York, above the age of ninety. The youngest
sister, Julia, married, several years later, Rev. Edward W. Oilman, Secre-
tary of the American Bible Society.
f The happiness of the home was greatly increased by the children that
from time to time came into it. These were six in all, of whom four sur-
vive. Two, a son and daughter, died of diphtheria in early childhood, in
August, l86i. The eldest daughter, Frances, has been since November,
1870, the wife of George D. Coit, of Norwich, Conn. The eldest son,
Edward Salisbury, is well known as his father's associate in the Faculty of
Yale University, and in the editorship of the yournal of .Science. Another
son, Arnold Guyot, is connected with the Financial Chronicle, edited by
his uncle, William B. Dana, in New York City. The youngest daughter
is still her mother's companion.
NEW HAVEN IN 1850
sketch, of New Haven and Yale College as they were in
the fifties.
New Haven was then as now an attractive residence
for a scholar, although in size and appearance it was very
different from the New Haven of to-day. The number
of inhabitants in the city according to the census of 1850
was 20,341. The college, which numbered in 1849-50
only 386 undergraduates and 145 professional students,
did not assume the name of a university until forty years
later. The trees upon the green were of great beauty,
and with those of Temple street and Hillhouse avenue
gave to New Haven the sobriquet of the " City of Elms."
The students were allowed to play football and wicket
on the public green between Chapel street and the state-
house that has now disappeared. The college buildings
were plain, poor, and inconvenient. A row of brick
dormitories, factory-like, stood parallel with College
street, facing the public green — their monotony being
scarcely broken by three larger buildings which were
known as the Chapel, the Athenseum or old Chapel, and
the Lyceum. In front of this row was a two-story
wooden dwelling-house, painted white, which was used
in former days as the President's residence, and was now
transformed into an analytical laboratory for the use of
students in chemistry. In the rear of the row of dormi-
tories there was a low, antiquated one-story building
called " the laboratory," once used as a dining-room for
" commons," and afterwards devoted to the lectures in
chemistry annually given to the senior class. Near by
stood a more modern building — likewise a former hall or
dining-room — which was set apart for the instruction in
natural philosophy and for the cabinet of minerals. The
token of better days to come had appeared in a new
building for the libraries, built of red sandstone, which
was opened for use in the winter of 1845-46. Four col-
lections were here placed, the College, the Linonian, the
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Brothers', and the Calliopean. This continued to be for
many years the best structure on the grounds. The
number of books had been augmented by some excellent
purchases made in Europe by Professor Kingsley, but
nevertheless the library was most inadequate. Every-
thing about the college indicated poverty, economy, and
the wise expenditure of restricted means. The salaries
were small and the standard of life extremely simple.
Academic dress was unknown, except that the professors,
in accordance with the usage of gentlemen, usually wore
in public, at all hours of the day, black dress-coats, and
often with white neckties. It was a great innovation
when President Woolsey appeared, on Commencement
Day, in a black silk gown surmounted by a tall black tile-
hat. His gownless predecessor, President Day, more
nostra, used to put on a tile-hat, as he sat in the pulpit of
the Centre church, when he came to the solemn act of
conferring degrees, and pronounced the traditional phrase
beginning " Pro auctoritate mihi commissa."
In those days, as now, Yale included the faculties of
law, medicine, and theology; but they were regarded as
" outside " departments, quite apart from the " college
proper " or academic department. Dr. Woolsey, a
former Professor of Greek, and a subsequent authority
in international law, was called to the presidential chair
in 1846, and at once began to impress upon the institu-
tion his wise ideas of scholarship. A new life began with
his administration : the discipline was made more rigid,
new subjects of study were introduced, able men were
called into the faculty.
But the older men were still honored and influential.
The former President, the Rev. Jeremiah Day, a calm,
wise, judicious man, remained in the corporation till he
was more than ninety years old, and might be seen every
Sunday in his seat at chapel, and almost every day slowly
promenading in the neighborhood of his house, or in his
154
THE YALE FACULTY IN 1850
yard chopping wood for exercise. Silliman and Kingsley
had been the colleagues of Day during the first half of
the century, and to these three men, with the Rev.
President Timothy Dwight, the first, the growth of the
college, in reputation and in numbers, from 1796 to 1846
was largely due.
Among his associates, Silliman was the scientific chief.
As a teacher he was always acceptable ; as a public lec-
turer he had no superior; as editor of an important
journal he had an international reputation. His man-
ners were courtly, his speech fluent, his sympathies
active. His tall figure, dignified bearing, and animated
countenance attracted attention in every assembly.
Many stories are extant of his humor and wit; many
more of his kindness and good-will. All this and much
more may be gathered from the memoir of Benjamin
Silliman, by Professor George P. Fisher.
The chair of natural philosophy and astronomy was
held by Professor Denison Olmsted, well known to this
day as the author of widely read text-books, and entitled
to a more enduring fame as an observer and student of
meteoric phenomena. He was the inspirer of a group of
observers — Ebenezer Porter Mason, Edward C. Herrick,
Alexander C. Twining, and Hubert A. Newton among
the number — who helped to discover the laws that govern
the showers of shooting stars, previously so mysterious.
Newton, the most distinguished of the four, became
Professor of Mathematics not long after Dana's accession
to the faculty. The chair of mathematics was previously
held (until 1853) by Anthony D. Stanley, a man of rare
abilities and of excessive modesty, who had graduated
three years earlier than Dana. He published but little,
and his name has never appeared on the roll of fame — but
it is well worthy of remembrance in the annals of Yale.
Professor William D. Whitney, the philologist, whom
the world of scholars has honored, came into the faculty
155
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
about the time of Dana, and with Professors Josiah W.
Gibbs, Edward E. Salisbury, Thomas A. Thacher, and
James Hadley, gave fresh distinction to the college in the
domain of ancient letters.
In the Reveries of a Bachelor, Ik Marvel (Donald G.
Mitchell) has sketched the older professors of this period
in language which is as true as a Rembrandt etching. It
has been read over and over again by Yalensians who were
in college during the forties and fifties — but like a good
sonnet, the more often it is repeated the better it sounds ;
so no apology will be made for its introduction here.
" I happened only a little while ago to drop into the
college chapel of a Sunday. There were the same hard
oak benches below, and the lucky fellows who enjoyed a
corner seat were leaning back upon the rail, after the old
fashion. The tutors were perched up in their side-boxes,
looking as prim and serious and important as ever. The
same stout Doctor * read the hymn in the same rhythmi-
cal way ; and he prayed the same prayer, for (I thought)
the same old sort of sinners. As I shut my eyes to listen,
it seemed as if the intermediate years had all gone out ;
and that I was on my own pew-bench, and thinking out
those little schemes for excuses or for effort, which were
to relieve me or to advance me, in my college world.
There was a pleasure — like the pleasure of dreaming
about forgotten joys — in listening to the Doctor's ser-
mon : he began in the same half-embarrassed, half-awk-
ward way ; and fumbled at his Bible-leaves, and the poor
pinched cushion, as he did long before. But as he went
on with his rusty and polemic vigor, the poetry within
him would now and then warm his soul into a burst of
fervid eloquence, and his face would glow, and his hand
tremble, and the cushion and the Bible-leaves be all for-
got, in the glow of his thought, until with a half-cough,
and a pinch at the cushion, he fell back into his strong
but treadmill argumentation.
In the corner above was the stately, white-haired pro-
fessor, f wearing the old dignity of carriage, and a smile
* Rev. Prof. E. T. Fitch. f Prof- Benjamin Silliman.
156
IK MARVEL'S PORTRAITS
as bland as if the years had all been playthings ; and had
I seen him in his lecture-room, I daresay I should have
found the same suavity of address, the same marvellous
currency of talk, and the same infinite composure over
the exploding retorts.
Near him was the silver-haired old gentleman * —
with a very astute expression — who used to have an
odd habit of tightening his cloak about his nether limbs.
I could not see that his eye was any the less bright ; nor
did he seem less eager to catch at the handle of some
witticism, or bit of satire, — to the poor student's cost.
I remembered my old awe of him, I must say, with some-
thing of a grudge; but I had got fairly over it now.
There are sharper griefs in life than a professor's talk.
" Farther on, I saw the long-faced, dark-haired manf
who looked as if he were always near some explosive,
electric battery, or upon an insulated stool. He was, I
believe, a man of fine feelings ; but he had a way of re-
ducing all action to dry, hard, mathematical system, with
very little poetry about it. I know there was not much
poetry in his problems in physics, and still less in his half-
yearly examinations. But I do not dread them now.
" Over opposite, I was glad to see still the aged head
of the kind and generous old man j^ who in my day pre-
sided over the college; and who carried with him the
affections of each succeeding class, — added to their re-
spect for his learning. This seems a higher triumph to
me now than it seemed then. A strong mind, or a culti-
vated mind, may challenge respect ; but there is needed a
noble one to win affection.
" A new man now filled his place in the President's
seat ; but he was one whom I had known, and had been
proud to know.§ His figure was bent, and thin — the
very figure that an old Flemish master would have
chosen for a scholar. His eye had a kind of piercing
lustre, as if it had long been fixed on books ; and his ex-
pression — when unrelieved by his affable smile — was that
of hard midnight toil. With all his polish of mind he
was a gentleman at heart ; and treated us always with a
manly courtesy that is not forgotten."
* Prof. J. L. Kingsley. J Rev. President Jeremiah Day.
f Prof. Denison Olmsted. § Rev. President Theodore D. Woolsey.
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Among other men of note then resident in New Haven
was the learned and eccentric geologist and poet, Dr.
James G. Percival, who made a geological survey of Con-
necticut in 183s and published a report which is as
memorable for its accuracy as it is noteworthy for its
dryness. He was one of the collaborators of Noah
Webster (Dr. Webster, as he was called) in the prepara-
tion of his well-known dictionaries. The memory was
still green of the poet, James A. Hillhouse, son of the
Senator, James Hillhouse, whose house at the head of
the Avenue still adorns the grove that is known as
" Sachem's Wood."
The circumstances which led to the enrolment of Pro-
fessor Dana in the Faculty of Yale so far as they are of
interest to the public are these.
While the writing of the expedition reports was still in
progress. Harvard, always eager to enlist the most emi-
nent men, had endeavored to secure his services. The
foundation of the Lawrence Scientific School, the acces-
sion of Agassiz to its scientific corps, the endowment of
the astronomical observatory, and the efficient manage-
ment of the botanical garden gave prestige to Cambridge
above that of any seat of learning in this country. Dr.
Asa Gray was the negotiator with Dana, and to him ac-
cordingly Dana's decision to remain in New Haven was
first made known; but Gray was supported by Agassiz
and B. A. Gould in his overtures, and he would probably
have succeeded had it not been for a timely and unex-
pected interposition. Professor Edward E. Salisbury, a
wealthy and liberal resident of New Haven, ever ready
to promote the highest interests of his alma mater, pro-
posed the foundation of a Silliman Professorship of
Natural History, and made a generous contribution to
it, with the understanding that the first incumbent of
the chair should be Dana. This determined the question.
It is remarkable that the same generous person, himself a
158
PROFESSOR SALISBURY'S INFLUENCE
distinguished Oriental scholar, should have provided the
means for enlisting in the service of Yale College two of
its most distinguished professors, the philologist Whitney
and the geologist Dana. Naturally President Dwight *
associated these names in his memorial discourse, and
praised the liberality of that friend whose gifts made it
possible for Dana and Whitney to serve Yale College — a
friend " who now in serene old age survives them both,
having witnessed with deepest satisfaction the rich fruits
of their work."
This benefaction determined the future career of the
naturalist. Henceforward, attention to his college duties,
editorial cares, the preparation and revision of scientific
works, correspondence wide-spread and incessant, jour-
neys about home, and field investigations in geology and
mineralogy occupied his time. The education of his
children and attention to his garden and shrubbery (in-
cluding a noteworthy regard for some famous pear trees),
walks and drives, were his recreations. In early life,
backgammon, and later his interest in music, occupied
his leisure. The absorbing problems of the civil war and
the consequent difficulties of the period of reconstruction
never failed to excite his interest and call out his patriot-
ism, and it is almost needless to add that he was hearty
and outspoken in his Union sentiments.
It was some years after his appointment when the " Sil-
liman Professor of Natural History " first appeared at
his desk, for the work on the reports occupied his time
and absorbed his strength. Professor Silliman's duties
had been divided — a part of them given to his son, Ben-
jamin Silliman, Jr., who was made Professor of Chemis-
try, and a part of them reserved for his son-in-law,
henceforward to be known as Professor Dana. Until the
latter was ready to assume his new responsibilities, the
lectures on geology were given by the elder Silliman.
* Memorial address at Yale University, June 23, 1895.
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
At length released from zoophytes and crustaceans,
Dana turned to " the age of man," and appeared at his
academic post, February i8, 1856, and on that day
delivered his inaugural discourse. The senior class, a
few members of the faculty, and perhaps a dozen other
persons met in what was then known as the geological
lecture-room, in the old cabinet building, and listened to
a discourse which began with this gratifying reference to
the predecessor of the lecturer :
" In entering upon the duties of this place, my
thoughts turn rather to the past than to the sub-
ject of the present hour. I feel that it is an honored
place, honored by the labors of one who has been the
guardian of American Science from its childhood ; who
here first opened to the country the wonderful records of
Geology; whose words of eloquence and earnest truth
were but the overflow of a soul full of noble sentiments
and warm sympathies, the whole throwing a peculiar
charm over his learning, and rendering his name beloved
as well as illustrious. Just fifty years since, Professor
Silliman took his station at the head of chemical and geo-
logical science in this college. Geology was then hardly
known by name in the land, out of these walls. Two
years before, previous to his tour in Europe, the whole
cabinet of Yale was a half-bushel of unlabelled stones.
On visiting England, he found even in London no school,
public or private, for geological instruction, and the science
was not named in the English universities. To the mines,
quarries, and cliffs of England, the crags of Scotland, and
the meadows of Holland he looked for knowledge, and
from these and the teachings of Murray, Jameson, Hall,
Hope, and Playfair, at Edinburgh, Professor Silliman re-
turned, equipped for duty, — albeit a great duty, — that of
laying the foundation, and creating almost out of noth-
ing a department not before recognized in any institu-
tion in America.
He began his work in 1806. The science was with-
out books — and, too, without system, except such as its
few cultivators had each for himself in his conceptions.
It was the age of the first beginnings of geology, when
160
DANA'S FIRST LECTURE
Wernerians and Huttonians were arrayed in a contest.
The disciples of Werner believed that all rocks had been
deposited from aqueous solutions, — from a foul chaotic
ocean that fermented and settled, and so produced the
succession of strata. The disciples of Hutton had no
faith in water, and would not take it even half and half
with their more potent agency, but were for fire, and fire
alone. Thus, as when the earth itself was evolved from
chaos, fire and water were in violent conflict ; and out of
the conflict emerged the noble science.
" Professor Silliman when at Edinburgh witnessed the
strife, and while, as he says, his earliest predilections
were for the more peaceful mode of rock-making, these
soon yielded to the accumulating evidence, and both
views became combined in his mind in one harmonious
whole. The science, thus evolved, grew with him and
by him ; for his own labors contributed to its extension.
Every year was a year of expansion and onward develop-
ment, and the grandeur of the opening views found in
him a ready and appreciative response. Like Nature her-
self, ever fresh and vigorous in the display of truth,
bearing flowers as well as facts, full and glowing in his
illustrations, and clear in his views and reasonings, he
became a centre of illumination for the continent. The
attraction of that light led his successor out of Oneida
County, N. Y., to Yale; and I doubt not, if all should
now speak that have been guided hither by the same
influence, we should have a vast chorus of voices.
" Geology from the first encountered opposition. Its
very essence, indeed the very existence of the science,
involved the idea of secondary causes in the progress of
the creation of the world — whilst Moses had seemingly
reduced each step of progress to a fiat, a word of com-
mand. The champions of the Bible seemed called upon,
therefore, to defend it against scientific innovations ; and
they labored zealously and honestly, not knowing that
science may also be of God. Professor Silliman being an
example of Christian character beyond reproach, personal
attacks were not often made. But thousands of regrets
that his influence was given over to the dissemination of
error were privately, and sometimes publicly, expressed.
An equal interest was exhibited by the lecturer in the
welfare of his opponents and the progress of what he
i6i
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
believed to be the truth ; and with boldness and power
he stood by both the Bible and the science, until now
there are few to question his faith.
" And while the science and truth have thus made
progress here, through these labors of fifty years, the
means of study in the institution have no less increased.
Instead of that half-bushel of stones, which once went to
Philadelphia for names, in a candle-box, you see above
the largest mineral cabinet in the country, which but for
Professor Silliman, his attractions and his personal exer-
tions together, would never have been one of the glories
of old Yale. And there are also in the same hall large
collections of fossils of the chalk, wealden, and tertiary
of England, which, following the course of affection and
admiration, came from Doctor Mantell to Professor Silli-
man, and now have their place with the other ' Medals
of Creation ' there treasured, along with similar collec-
tions from M. Alexander Brongniart of Paris. Thus the
stream has been ever flowing, and this institution has
had the benefit of it, — a stream not solely of minerals and
fossils, but also of pupils and friends.
" Moreover, the American Journal of Science, — now in
its thirty-seventh year and seventieth volume, — projected
and long sustained solely by Professor Silliman, while
ever distributing truth, has also been ever gathering
honors, and is one of the laurels of Yale.
" We rejoice that in laying aside his studies, after so
many years of labor, there is still no abated vigor.
Youth with him has been perpetual. Years will make
some encroachments as they pass ; yet Time, with some,
seems to stand aloof when the inner temple is guarded by
a soul of genial sympathies and cheerful goodness. He
retires as one whose right it is to throw the burden on
others. Long may he be with us, to enjoy the good he
has done, and cheer us by his noble and benign presence."
Like Silliman, Dana was soon invited to deliver public
lectures in different cities, usually under the auspices of
Young Men's Institutes. The only extended tour that
he consented to make was made in the winter of 1857,
when he visited in rapid succession Utica, Fort Plains,
Canajoharie, Buffalo, Cleveland, Louisville, Cincinnati,
162
DUTIES AS A COLLEGE PROFESSOR
and Pittsburg. A note was made that on the I2th of
January he crossed the Ohio River, with the thermometer
at — 12° F. From the enthusiastic reports of his lecture
upon " Corals " in Utica, his native place, it is obvious
that he held the audience in delighted attention. " No
scientific lecturer ever spoke more directly than he to the
popular appreciation and instruction. To lively and
picturesque language he adds an earnest, distinct, and
pleasant delivery. " Not far from thirty years had passed
since the Utica schoolboy was collecting rocks and min-
erals, — and now he came " home " with wide experience,
high station, and national renown, to address his towns-
men on one of the most fascinating branches of geological
investigation.
During the early years of his professorship the measures
were adopted which transformed the rudimentary Scien-
tific School of Yale College into that great institution
which bears the name of its chief benefactor, and is widely
known as the Shefifield Scientific School. In the plans
for its expansion Dana took an active and influential part.
He inquired into the work of kindred institutions in
Europe, as they were described to him by those who had
lately returned from studies abroad, and he advocated
the adoption of some of their methods. He urged the
securing of an endowment, and he pointed out the uses
that could be made of funds which should be supple-
mentary and auxiliary to those already held by Yale Col-
lege. He was not a regular teacher in the new department,
and he rarely attended the meetings of its governing
board, — but he took the deepest interest in its advance-
ment, and could always be relied on for sympathy, coun-
sel, and influence. There is no doubt that the early
distinction of this school is due in a degree to Dana and
Whitney, whose names were a guarantee the world over
that the methods here adopted were wise and commend-
able ; while the burdens of management and instruction
163
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
were borne by their colleagues, and especially by Professor
George J. Brush. In support of the plans which were
proposed for the school, Dana delivered a discourse be-
fore the citizens of New Haven, and repeated it by
request before the alumni of Yale. A proof-sheet has
been preserved which contains in his own handwriting
emendations of and suggestions for a plan for the endow-
ment of " a School of Science to be established at New
Haven in connection with Yale College " (1856).
The cabinet of minerals belonging to Yale received a
great deal of care. He undertook its rearrangement and
the preparation of labels, conforming closely to his own
manual of mineralogy, and he encouraged the students
and the public to visit freely the collections. At length
in 1866 came the great gift of George Peabody for the
Museum of Natural History. He was one of the original
board of trustees, and the construction of the building,
as regards internal arrangement, was largely determined
by plans made by him.
Of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences
Dana was chosen President in 1857-58. This society is
one of the oldest scientific associations in this country, —
having been instituted in 1786, and incorporated a few
years later. Its meetings have done much to quicken the
progress of science in Yale University, and its publications
contain important memoirs, — especially in recent years.
Another less formal association has been, for more than
sixty years, a social gathering of intellectual men which
has no other name than " The Club." It meets at the
houses of the members, at frequent intervals, for conver-
sation and the discussion of science, politics, and religion.
Its earliest meetings were in 1838, and among the found-
ers were : Dr. Leonard Bacon ; President Woolsey ; two
others of the faculty. Professors Gibbs and Lamed;
Henry White, a well-known lawyer ; Alexander C. Twin-
ing, a civil engineer; Dr. Henry G. Ludlow, a minister;
164
HIS DISTINCTION AS A TEACHER
and a physician, Henry A. Tomlinson. Professors Dana,
William D. Whitney, and George P. Fisher, all men of
national distinction, were received as members in 1855.
For a time Dana was a regular and interested attendant,
but ill-health and the necessity of avoiding all social ex-
citement soon closed the pleasure of these meetings to
one who would have enjoyed them highly.
For a time he attended the meetings of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science, and the
National Academy of Sciences, and in both these organ-
izations he was elected President. His address at the
Albany meeting of the association first named was re-
garded as a masterly and comprehensive review of
American geology.
But he had no liking for such assemblies, and as years
went on he excused himself more and more frequently
from engagements which took him away from home at
periods fixed for the convenience of others.
His rides and walks about New Haven furnished the
material for a series of interesting articles upon the physi-
cal aspects of that region, which were published in a
college weekly, and were afterwards republished in a
pamphlet, that will always be readable and suggestive,
entitled The Four Rocks.
There is a certain standard of professorial life which
measures the value of a teacher by the number of recita-
tions that he hears, or by the skill with which he exacts
attention to the lessons of a class-book. Not so should
the greatest teachers be estimated. They are the greatest
who can awaken in their followers a love of knowledge
and show them how this knowledge may be obtained or
verified. To this class Dana belongs. His power was
that of inspiration and of guidance. He could arrest the
attention of his hearers, fill their minds with an enthusias-
tic love of science, and inspire them with certain principles
which they would not forget as long as life continued.
165
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
When any young man showed a determined interest in
science, Dana was always ready to give him special en-
couragement and suggestion. Among those who came
under his influence in their early life, and have gained
distinction in different branches of the sciences that he
taught, may be named George J. Brush, William H.
Brewer, William P. Blake, Othniel C. Marsh, Addison
E. Verrill, Sidney I. Smith, Edward S. Dana, and Henry
S. Williams, professors in Yale; Clarence King, Charles
D. Walcott, and Arnold Hague, of the United States
Geological Survey; George H. Williams and William B.
Clark, of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
More than once Dana's classes thanked him in cere-
monious letters for his instruction. Here is that of the
class of 1856:
" Yale College, Mar. 31, 1856.
" In view of your course of lectures on geology now
about to close, the senior class desire to assure you of the
satisfaction and pleasure afforded them in listening to a
course so highly interesting and eminently instructive ; and
to tender you their sincere acknowledgments of the same.
It affords us, Sir, no little gratification that we have been
the first class privileged to enjoy your teachings; and be
assured we shall ever cherish the most grateful apprecia-
tion of your efforts as an instructor and kindness as a
friend.
" In parting we tender you. Sir, the thanks and most
cordial good wishes of the Class of '56.
" In behalf of the class,
" Charles T. Catlin,
" John Mason Brown,
" M. H. Arnot."
And here is the master's reply:
" Before parting permit me to express my gratification
with the sentiments yesterday conveyed to me from the
members of the Class attending this course. In my
opening lecture I requested your willing ears ; and I have
166
REGARD OF HIS PUPILS
had, as I believe, more, — your deeply interested atten-
tion. The relation of professor to student was to me
personally a new one; for I had long been accustomed
to that only of gentleman with gentleman. It has been
my special pleasure that this last relation has been con-
tinued into my new trial of college life ; and I shall re-
member with peculiar satisfaction my pleasant intercourse
with the Class of 1856. To them all I tender my wishes
for their future success and happiness."
He also received from an optional class, in 1877, a
letter of thanks, to which he made the following reply :
" New Haven, June 28, 1877.
" My dear Friends and Pupils of the Class of iSjy :
" Your very kind words I have read and reread, re-
joicing that I have been able to give you both profit and
pleasure in connection with your geological studies, — and
also that the first optional class in geology was composed
of just such young men as yourselves, so full of interest
in the science and so ready for outdoor as well as indoor
work. Your delight as we have walked and talked —
whether while ranging through sandstone and granite
quarries, or climbing trap-mountains, or traversing gorges
with their lakes and ice-caves, or navigating an archipel-
ago of ArchjEan thimbles * has always been to me a de-
light, and has more than repaid me for what I have done.
And now I have double pay in your parting message.
It is my way, you know, to try to square off even ; and
although this is not wholly possible in the present case,
I do what I can toward it in sending you each a copy of
one of my recent memoirs, which will help to keep New
England geology in mind.
" With earnest wishes for your best welfare,
" I remain your sincere friend,
"James D. Dana."
Professor Walcott, the head of the United States Geo-
logical Survey, whose early home, like that of Dana,
Gray, and H. Williams, was in central New York, said:
*An allusion to Thimble Islands near New Haven,
167
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
" One of the pleasantest memories I have of Professor
Dana is that of his kindness and assistance when I was a
young man working alone in central New York. I wrote
to him, telling him of my work, and in reply received a
letter encouraging me to continue, and offering to examine
personally any contribution that I might make to geology
or palaeontology. The correspondence, opened in this
manner, continued for a number of years, and resulted in
great benefit to me by the encouragement received, and
still more in its leading me to make visits to New Haven,
from time to time, to talk with him.
" I feel profoundly grateful for the personal influence
Professor Dana had upon me as a young man, and for
the influence of his Manual of Geology in aiding in the
shaping of my geological studies and work. This may
be better understood when it is known that at no time
did I have any instructor in geology."
One of the recent Yale graduates has printed several
anecdotes of his teacher, which are quite worth preserva-
tion. The writer is Edward Linton, Ph.D., Professor of
Agriculture in Washington, Pa., and his communication
appeared in the Presbyterian Messenger.
" I have known teachers who prided themselves on
their ability to conduct recitations without the open
text-book before them, and have often speculated on the
amount of misdirected nervous energy which was thus
expended in committing the text-book to memory. Pro-
fessor Dana's method in the class-room was very different
from this. I once saw him stop in the midst of a recitation
in his own text-book, which it is to be presumed he knew
fairly well, and, after turning over a few pages hurriedly,
putting on his spectacles, taking them off, laying them
down on his desk, losing them for a little while, and then
finding them and putting them on again, — all movements
very familiar to those who sat under his teaching in the
later years of his life, — at last excused himself and retired
to his private room; whence he soon returned with
another book, and after making the remark that the first
book had a leaf missing, proceeded with the recitation.
In questioning the student, he very carefully followed
l68
ANECDOTES OF HIS LIFE
the book. Of course, it is easily understood why he
should do this. His knowledge on all subjects alluded
to in the text-book was extensive, and if he were to ask
questions from his knowledge of the subject, he would,
of necessity, oftentimes be unjust to the student, and
injustice was utterly foreign to Professor Dana's
nature.
" While small of stature he was of commanding pres-
ence, yet most modest and unassuming withal. His
manner won him the respect and esteem of every one who
came under his teaching. My work with him was mainly
in connection with a small elective class, but I was in the
habit of attending the recitations of the senior class in
geology for the sake of the remarks which were made
during the course of the recitation. There never was the
slightest disorder in the room, although one day, I re-
member, an incident occurred which at first looked, or
rather sounded, like disorder. During the progress of
the recitation a match-head was accidentally exploded by
some one. I remember yet the hurt look which came on
the venerable teacher's sensitive face and the quiet remark
which he made a few moments later. At the end of the
recitation fully a dozen students, from the part of the
room where the disturbance had occurred, stopped at
the Professor's desk and assured him that the noise was
accidental. The quite evident feeling of relief with which
he received this assurance was very pleasant to see.
" His presentation of scientific facts was almost purely
impersonal. Out of the wealth of experience which he
had enjoyed as a young man when naturalist in the famous
Wilkes Expedition — famous more because of his work
in connection with it than for any other reason — he might
have drawn almost daily for illustrations. He almost
never said, ' I have seen,' or, ' I have visited this or that
locality. '
" His disposition was most kindly. This, indeed, could
be seen in the whole bearing of the man. I remember an
Armenian student who had been studying for some time
in this country, and who, in 1881-82, was taking geology
and kindred studies in Yale, preparatory to going back to
Turkey as a teacher and missionary. We called him
Devonian, because his name sounded something like that
of the age of fishes. One day as we were starting on a
169
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
geological excursion, Professor Dana came to the ticket-
window just as I was getting my ticket and bought two
tickets, and then, coming up to where Devonian and I were
standing, quietly slipped a ticket into the Armenian's
hand. The reason for this charity was evident. The
Armenian could not afford the expense of these geological
trips, some of which were quite extensive, and Professor
Dana was simply helping him to some knowledge and
experience which might be useful to him as a missionary
teacher. This was a little thing and might mean little or
much, according to the spirit in which it was done. It
was assuredly alms of the kind not intended to be seen of
men.
" Although he had been teaching geology for many
years and had been taking students over the New Haven
region so long that one would have thought his enthu-
siasm would have begun to flag, yet, on the excursions in
the fall of 1 88 1, he was as energetic and enthusiastic as a
boy. I remember our first excursion very well. I think
there must have been over fifty students who started on
this excursion ; most of them were armed with hammers,
which they used with great vigor on the boulders which
strew the New Haven plain. Although he had to repeat
the same thing many times when students would come to
him with a piece of granite, or trap, or slate, or sandstone,
he was always patient and explained again and again,
without the least sign of weariness or lack of interest.
At times our course led us over a strip of meadow where
there were no exposures; then, or sometimes between
places of special interest, the Professor would break into
a sharp trot, which the best sprinters present did not care
to outdo for very long. By the time we had visited the
trap-dikes of Mill Rock and Whitney Park there were less
than a dozen left of the fifty, and over, who had so bravely
started. . . .
" In July, 1882, I had the rare pleasure of accompany-
ing Professor Dana on a trip occupying several days, into
northwestern Connecticut and southwestern Massachu-
setts. We spent the Fourth of July in Canaan, Connecti-
cut, a beautiful region of the country,
" * Where every prospect pleases,
And only man is vile.'
170
ANECDOTES OF HIS LIFE
These lines from Bishop Heber's familiar hymn kept run-
ning in my mind like a refrain on the evening of that
Fourth of J uly ; for after riding over the charming country
on a bright forenoon and enjoying the delightful prospect
and experiencing the elevation of mind which came from
a near association with such a lover and interpreter of
nature as Professor Dana, we came back to the little hotel
and' humanity, in the shape of a crowd of intoxicated
men, who were celebrating the day by indulging in a
drunken brawl. It was like coming down from the trans-
figured life of the mount to the disillusion of the plain
below.
" The succeeding days were pleasanter and unspoiled
by the trail of the serpent. A journey among the lovely
Berkshire Hills of itself makes a place of rest and delight
in the memory, but with such a companion and in the
bright summer weather, the memory of Lenox and Lee
and Stockbridge and Great Barrington, and the country-
side round about, is a delight indeed.
On this trip Professor Dana was especially interested
in tracing the limits of certain limestone formations. I
remember one day when we were riding along near Lee
we came to an abrupt turn in the road, where what ap-
peared to be a granite rock was exposed by the roadside.
An exposure of limestone was to have been expected
here. Now, although I usually tried to do the work of
collecting material, in this case, before I could hand the
lines to Professor Dana, he had jumped from the buggy
and was looking at a piece of the rock through a pocket
lens. He was just saying, ' Yes, that is certainly gneiss,'
when a countryman came riding by in a wagon, and with
an unmistakable Yankee accent said, ' I reckon you call
that there rock limestone, don't you ? ' Professor Dana
looked up and said: ' No, it 's a kind of granite.' He
used the name granite and not the unfamiliar name gneiss,
which is a kind of granite rock. The countryman an-
swered, ' Well, it effervesces with acid, anyhow.' I have
a very vivid picture in my memory of the way Professor
Dana whipped out his pocket lens, which he had put away
while the conversation was going on, and glued his eye to
it. After a moment or two he looked up and laughed, at
the same time looking just a little ' beat,' and acknow-
ledged that the countryman was right. The man proved
171
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
to be well acquainted with the rocks of the region, having
been with Professor Hitchcock a good deal while he was
working up the geology of western Massachusetts many
years before. I still have the piece of limestone in my
collection, which Professor Dana, the author of the great-
est work on scientific mineralogy in our language or any
other, had identified for him by this countryman of Lee."
Professor O. C. .Farrington, who received the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy at Yale in 1891, gives his reminis-
cences in these words :
" Glancing over the notes of his talks which I made
during the two years that I was privileged to study under
his instruction, I find many aphorisms which he let fall
indicating the methods by which his own success in
scientific work was attained. Thus, when stating the
different theories which had been proposed regarding the
mode of formation of coral islands, he expressed a wish
that borings might be made so as to learn on what founda-
tions the islands rest, remarking, ' When I get at a thing
I want to go to the bottom of it, and then I am willing to
leave it.' The remark reminds one much of the answer
given by Lincoln to a question as to how he gained so
clear a knowledge of the subjects with which he dealt,
when he said, ' I cannot rest easy when I am handling a
thought till I have it bounded upon the north, upon the
south, upon the east, and upon the west.'
" Another maxim which it would be well to keep in
mind in these days of easy publication Professor Dana
gave utterance to when, in referring to some of the theories
which were being advanced at the time to account for the
subsidences of the earth's crust, he said : ' I think it bet-
ter to doubt until you know. Too many people assert
and then let others doubt.'
" The same judicial poise was exhibited in his readiness
to change his former opinions when he became convinced
that the evidence was sufficient to warrant it. Absolute
candor and desire to support only the truth as he saw the
truth were among his principal characteristics, and he
sought constantly to impress upon his students their im-
portance as factors of success in the pursuit of know-
ledge.
172
HIS MODE OF TEACHING
" Thus in studying the Cambrian era, which the labors
of Walcott and others at that time had shown to be of
far greater extent and importance than had previously
been supposed, his students were told to regard it as of
equal importance with the Lower Silurian, though in his
text-book it was one of the subdivisions of the latter, and
his remark at the time was, ' I have found it best to be
always afloat in regard to opinions on geology. '
" So, too, in accepting as divisions of independent con-
tinental progress, the Eastern Border, Eastern Conti-
nental, Interior Continental, Western Continental, and
Western Border regions, a classification which differed
from that which he had previously made, he said : ' I
always like to change when I can make a change for the
better. '
" In adopting views which had been originated by
others, he never sought to assume from them any credit
to himself, but freely gave honor to whom honor was due.
This was well illustrated in his espousal of Darwin's
theory of the formation of coral islands. It was a subject
to which before the publication of Darwin's views he had
himself given much thought, without arriving in his own
mind at any satisfactory hypothesis. ' As soon as Dar-
win published his theory, however,' he said, ' I saw at
once that it solved the difificulties of the case,' and though
he did much to expand and verify it, he never claimed it
in any degree as his own. His change of opinion regard-
ing the theory of evolution is likewise well known, and he
never hesitated to mention it in his lectures upon the
subject.
" Upon those, however, who sought to gain scientific
repute by any other means than a careful and unbiased
study of facts, his strictures were severe. One geologist
of some prominence he described as ' a man of wonderful
resources, because he had only to go to his own brain
for facts,' and his students were often warned against ac-
cepting any of such an observer's conclusions.
" Woe likewise to the student who sought to conceal
the bubble of his ignorance with a thin varnish of words.
The bubble would be pricked with a celerity and sudden-
ness that left no desire for a repetition of the experiment.
" No man, however, was ever more ready, even eager,
to assist those who wanted to obtain knowledge. While
^73
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
he had no time to waste on those who studied geology
only as a matter of form, his resources were freely at the
disposal of any who displayed intelligent interest in the
subject.
" One way in which he evinced this was by the long
walks which he was wont to take with his students about
New Haven, or other trips to places more distant.
Though these were over the same ground year after year,
he never seemed to weary of the journey so long as his
students showed any desire to be instructed by what they
saw. Even to the very last of his life these trips were
continued, the teacher of nearly fourscore years travelling
over rocky steeps and through brambly thickets with all
the ease and sprightliness of youth and at a pace which
his younger followers found difficult to imitate. The
number and variety of illustrations of geological prin-
ciples which he could point out in such walks of a few
hours were indeed remarkable, and taught his students
that they need not go to distant parts of the earth to
make geological observations, for they could find material
sufficient for study at their own door. The trap-ridges,
kettle-holes, and boulder trains of the vicinity of New
Haven have thus become of classic interest, not because
they presented any unusual features, but because Profes-
sor Dana resided near them, studied them, and gave to
the world the results of his observations.
" No operation that was carried on within the range of
his observation, the details of which could add to the sum
of geological knowledge or help solve any of its problems,
seemed to escape his notice. Every railroad cut, every
survey, every excavation, and every boring he carefully
watched, and gained from them facts which helped him
interpret the past history of the earth.
" The bricks which were burned in the Quinnipiac kilns
he had analyzed in order to learn why they fused so
easily, and gained thereby important information regard-
ing the source of the clay. By the dolomitic blocks of
the State-house he illustrated to his classes the principles
of the disintegration of limestone, and by the granite
pillars of the Peabody Museum the expansion of stone
by heat. From watching the drying of a drop of milk on
a stone floor he derived an explanation of the forms pro-
duced by concretionary consolidation, and by experi-
174
INVESTIGATION ENCOURAGED
menting with varieties of sand dropped about an upright
darning-needle established the principles governing the
angle of rest for falling detritus.
" His ability to retain in his mind various phases of
geological evidence, and develop them as time progressed,
was likewise remarkable. Thus, in 1889, in his teaching
he laid much more stress on the influence of the Cincin-
nati uplift in determining the character of the rocks of the
interior of the continent than he had previously done in
his Manual, for he said he had never so fully realized its
importance as he had that year.
Nor were his students compelled to receive obsolete
theories or time-worn illustrations because he had held or
used them in the past. On the contrary, they were kept
informed of the newest discoveries and latest phases of
geological thought and urged to judge for themselves of
their importance and bearing upon previously attested
principles. With all the varied lines of thought and dis-
covery he kept in closest touch, and seemed equally ap-
preciative of their value, whether they related to the
eruptions of Kilauea, the Algonquin formation, mesozoic
mammals, the causes of oscillation of the earth's surface,
or what not. Of this progressiveness and appreciation of
all additions to the sum of geological knowledge his newly
published Manual gives sufficient evidence.
" The quality in an investigator which, other things
being equal, he seemed to esteem most highly, was that
of carefulness. How often were his students advised to
trust or to doubt the statements of an author according
as he was or was not, in the opinion of Professor Dana, a
careful man ! With hasty and ill-considered conclusions
or elaborate theories built from meagre observations he
had no patience, but to opinions which he believed had
been derived from a careful and thorough study of facts
he was ever ready to give the fullest consideration, how-
ever much they might be opposed to his previous con-
clusions. ' More,' he said, ' could be learned by studying
unconformities than conformities,' and this he believed
to be as true of unconformable opinions as of heterogene-
ous strata.
" The awakening in his mind of the interest in science
which became the ruling passion of his life, and led to his
signal achievements for its advance. Professor Dana used
17s
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
to ascribe largely to two causes, one that of having spent
much of his early life in the country, the other, his first
teacher. In connection with the first he used to deplore
the lack of development of the faculties of observation
and the ignorance of nature consequent upon life in the
city, and placed a high estimate upon the education un-
consciously gained by an association with the beings and
phenomena of the natural world. As an illustration of
this, the author recalls an occasion when, having passed
in vain nearly around the class for a statement of the dif-
ferences between a moss and a phenogamous plant, Pro-
fessor Dana turned to one of the few remaining who had
not confessed their ignorance, with the remark, ' You are
from the country; you ought to know.* And he did.
" Professor Dana's first teacher was an ardent student
of nature who was wont to go with his pupils on long
tramps for the purpose of collecting minerals, plants, and
insects, and aroused in them much of his own eagerness
for the pursuit of knowledge. It is therefore but just
that some of the fame of his distinguished pupil should
be attributed to him. One incident which Professor
Dana used to relate to illustrate his teacher's fervor as a
collector was that when on one occasion his little party
had gathered at a remote place more mineral specimens
than they could carry in their hands, the master, in pref-
erence to leaving any behind, improvised a bag from a
pair of trousers, and thus bore them safely .to their
destination. ' '
It must not be supposed that the duties of Professor
Dana were only those required by the college. His self-
imposed tasks were equally engrossing. In the first place
there was the supervision of the American Journal of
Science. Of course he was assisted in this arduous and
unceasing work by able collaboratofs, resident and non-
resident; but the reading and selection of articles, the
oversight of the press, the conduct of the correspond-
ence, and the financial burden devolved upon him as the
managing editor. Then his work as an author was also
continuous. The three great Reports, the successive
editions of the Mineralogy, the Manual of Geology and
176
ILL-HEALTH
the smaller Geology, and later the works on Volcanoes and
Coral Islands, besides numerous contributions to the
current journals, are the proofs of his unceasing industry.
But although unremitting in labor, he was not " inde-
fatigable," for weariness from time to time overcame
him, and compelled him to take long periods of rest and
observe a rigid regimen in respect to exercise and sleep.
Of these unfavorable conditions of health the pages of
this memoir give many illustrations, but it may be worth
while to state, in a single paragraph, the crises through
which he went.
Incessant mental exertion impaired his health when
he was about forty-five years old, notwithstanding the
orderly quiet and the temperance of his domestic life.
The warnings became so serious that at length he deter-
mined to go abroad with his wife and try the effect of
complete separation from his usual avocations. This
journey to Europe extended from October, 1859, to
August, i860, a rest of ten months, of which three were
spent in Switzerland. One of the minor fruits of this
relaxation was a vade-mecum prepared for the use of
students who might wish to see the Alps by a very
moderate expenditure of money.
For some years after his return the powers of the
naturalist seemed to be restored, and it was then that the
large Manual of Geology and the smaller text-book were
made ready for publication, between 1862 and 1864, and
the large Mineralogy in 1868. Again he broke down,
and his lectures were read to the students by his younger
colleague. Professor O. C. Marsh. In 1869-70 he suffered
from a severe attack of fever, which completely prostrated
him, and from which his recovery was slow. Again in
1874, another illness, proceeding from a cold, disabled
him for a time. In 1880, he was compelled to seek re-
lease from college duties. Then came a decade when his
intellectual activity was regulated by the strictest care.
177
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Finally, in October, 1890, he was obliged to relinquish
all his college duties. Nevertheless, his perceptions re-
mained as clear, his memory was as good, and his power
of statement was as exact as ever. Up to a day or two
before his death, as elsewhere stated, his mind and body
retained their usual activity. His career is a wonderful
story of endurance and self-control, — an example, rarely
paralleled, of the power of the will to resist the infirmities
of the body.
178
CHAPTER X
SCIENCE AND RELIGION
Dana's Religious Convictions — Relation of Science and Religion — At-
tempted Reconciliation of Geology and Genesis — Reply to Tayler
Lewis — Friendly Words of Approval — Guyot's Influence — Later Views
— Characteristics of his Religious Life.
SOON after entering upon his professorship, Professor
Dana became involved in a discussion respecting the
relation of science and religion, which for more than a
year occupied his thoughts and his pen. The incident
which arrested his attention was the appearance of a book
by a scholar and theologian, Professor Tayler Lewis, on
the Mosaic cosmogony, and especially on the relations of
science to the Bible.
This episode affords an opportunity to consider the re-
ligious convictions of Dana, which were strong and con-
tinuous from the beginning of life to its close. The
reader of his letters has already seen abundant indications
of his firm Christian faith, and this will be more appar-
ent as his life advances. Yet the questions that occupy
thoughtful religious men at the close of the nineteenth
century are so different from those which were dominant
thirty or forty years ago, and the phraseology of that
time now appears so antiquated and to many so unintel-
ligible, that a brief discussion of Dana's spiritual and in-
tellectual attitude toward religion may furnish the key to
many expressions which are found in his books and his
letters.
179
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Dana grew up in a family of sincerely devout people,
connected with an orthodox church, unquestioning heirs
of the Puritan views generally prevalent in New England
and in central New York during the first half of this
century. His parents were not troubled, apparently, by
any of the minor differences of religious denominations,
but without question they accepted the Scriptures as the
Word of God, and believed in the duty of personal con-
secration to the service of Christ. Thus the bent was
given to his religious nature. The earliest letter of his
that is extant, the simple expression of a boy of twelve
years old, asks that a Testament may be sent him, as the
Sunday-school has not any that he can use. During his
college life and subsequent residence in New Haven, prior
to the Expedition, he doubtless came under the influences
of what were then called revivals of religion, but his calm
and tranquil spirit was not affected by them. Not long
before his departure for the voyage around the world,
letters from home acquainted him with the change of
heart which several of his brothers and sisters had experi-
enced, and James, under the additional influence of cer-
tain friends in New Haven, — Robert Bakewell and Henry
White among the number, — made an open profession of
his Christian faith by becoming a member of the First
Church in New Haven, of which the distinguished Rev.
Dr. Leonard Bacon was then pastor.
There are letters of this period which record his re-
ligious experiences, but they are quite too confidential
and sacred to be here reproduced. Ever afterwards, to
the end of his life, amid the excitements and the distrac-
tions of nautical life, in hours of danger, and in the quiet
pursuit of science, his devotion was manifest. It was
never obtrusive. He was not a man who employed cant
phrases or who was eager to express his most sacred
thoughts or display his emotions. Nor was he tenacious
of denominational tenets, or inclined to philosophical and
1 80
RELIGIOUS NATURE
ecclesiastical discussions. On the other hand, no one was
ever admitted to his intimacy, on shipboard or on land,
as a visitor in his family or as a correspondent, without
discovering the simplicity, the honesty, and the beauty
of his Christian character. He was not only a man with-
out guile, — he was a man of strong convictions, definite
principles, and devout aspirations, ever manifested by
that " most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of
peace and of all virtues." Striking illustrations might
be given of the light which was shed by his steady adher-
ence under adverse circumstances to the essentials of
Christianity, and by his outspoken words, while his life
was devoted to the fearless discovery of nature and the
defense of scientific truth.
With Arnold Guyot's views he was especially in
sympathy, and perhaps no better summary of his beliefs
could be given than that which is attributed to another
devoted and lifelong friend, Asa Gray, the botanist.*
Under the trying conditions of prolonged ill-health, which
made the end of active work seem near, day after day,
for more than thirty years, Dana's patience and submis-
sion were invariable. As old age came on, he lost no
courage. He cheered his contemporaries by his resolute
faith, and he set an example of serenity and faith to all
the younger persons who came under his influence. So
much for his spiritual nature.
Now a word respecting his intellectual attitude toward
religion. In order that this may be understood, the
state of this country during his earlier years, and espe-
cially between 1830 and i860, must be borne in mind.
Science had not then established its position in college
courses, nor in the confidence of educated religious men,
as it did at a later date. Ministers and churches saw its
approaches with apprehension. They were alarmed by
* See the Memorial Sermon of Rev. A. McKenzie, D.D., respecting Pro-
fessor Gray, Cambridge, 1888.
181
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
its teachings, and afraid of its destructive influences.
Silliman carried on a controversy with Moses Stuart, of
Andover, respecting the time during which creation
made its progress, — the former claiming that the " days "
of Genesis were long and undefined " ages," the other
claiming, on the authority of the Hebrew Scriptures, that
" days " meant periods of twenty-four hours. The col-
lege preacher. Dr. Fitch, in a sermon before the students,
enforced the doctrine that " days" meant solar days.
Some of the orthodox claimed that marine fossils, found
on lofty summits remote from seas, were evidences of the
universal deluge. It was even suggested, by one person,
that they were placed there by the Devil to confound the
wise. When Dana and his wife were at Saratoga in 1844,
they listened to a sermon which contained statements
never forgotten and often referred to in future years.
The clergyman declared that the world was created a
plain, and that all mountains were the result — he did not
explain in what manner — of Adam's fall ! A celebrated
Presbyterian clergyman of New York, in a lecture before
a theological seminary, which one of his hearers now dis-
tinctly recalls, made this same declaration that the up-
heaval of mountains was a consequence of the fall of
man. Another minister asserted that the dislocation of
the rocks occurred at the Crucifixion.
In January, 1857, Professor Dana made a lecturing
tour, for the first and only time. Writing from Utica, he
says:
" Last evening, at George's [his brother], I read my
other lecture to the families and a few others, by special
request, and had the parlors hung with the legs and
bones of the various wild beasts of which the lecture
treats. All passed off satisfactorily, they say. Mr. ,
of the Dutch church, was present. After I had finished,
his questions showed him to be quite a heretic. He was
quite sure that there was no death in the world until the
182
DEFENCE OF SCIENCE
sin of Adam. The tigers could not have given loose to
their flesh-eating propensities until the fall."
Writing later from Buffalo, on the same trip, Dana
adds:
" I understand that [a minister who heard him] said
that if science shows that animals died before Adam's
fall, the Bible all goes to naught. Funny that the sin of
Adam should have killed those old trilobites! The
blunderbuss must have kicked back into time at a tre-
mendous rate to have hit those poor innocents and their
associates. Truth, though so glorious in itself, aye,
heaven-born, how it is feared and fought against and
often persecuted by self -deluded man ! Give the trilo-
bites a chance to speak, and they would correct many a
false dogma in theological systems! "
It was under these circumstances that Dana took the
attitude of an uncompromising defender of science, from
within the camp of undisputed orthodoxy and from a
group of men whose devoutness was unquestionable.
Professor Tayler Lewis was a man of great ability and
of unusual attainments as a scholar. He had been a
professor of Greek literature in the University of the City
of New York, and subsequently held a like position in
Union College. A small volume, entitled Science and the
Bible, in which he defended the literal interpretation of
the word " days " in the first chapter of Genesis, and cast
aspersions on the teachings of science and scientific men,
aroused the attention of Dana, who picked up the glove
thus thrown into the arena. In four articles printed in
the Bibliotheca Sacra he came to the defense of geology,
and in vigorous paragraphs attacked the position of Dr.
Lewis. It is not worth while, forty years later, to review
the merits of this controversy, but it is significant as an
expression of Dana's opinions on the relation of science
and religion, — and it is of even greater importance as an
I
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
illustration of the utterances, then not uncommon, of in-
fluential teachers of religion.
It should be remembered that in this controversy
Professor Dana's purpose was to defend the conclusions
he had reached respecting cosmology, and to vindicate
their consistency with the truths of revealed religion.
He was not by profession a biblical exegete, and his main
contention is quite separable from the special mode which
he favored of interpreting the narrative of the creation
in Genesis. The discussion attracted the attention of
many thoughtful men ; but a young naturalist or a young
theologian of the present time who may turn to those
forgotten pages will be surprised that such questions
could then have seemed so important. All theological
comments respecting the Bible and respecting the works
of creation are now on a very different plane.
There is a large file of letters from men of mark, show-
ing how eagerly they read what Dana had said, and how
generally they concurred with his views. Perhaps the
most interesting of these letters is one from Professor
Agassiz, which will here be given. The entire series
would make an interesting chapter in the history of the
development of intellectual life in the United States, if
such a work should ever be written.
. FROM LOUIS AGASSIZ, THE NATURALIST
" Cambridge, Jan. 30, 1856.
" Many thanks, my dear Dana, for your very friendly
words and the pamphlet on Science and the Bible. I have
just read it through, and thank you heartily for it and for
your powerful vindication of science versus conceited
theology. I love the spirit which breathes in your pages,
and which has drawn me so near to you. Of course as
long as we learn we shall differ on more points from one
another, as we differ from ourselves of yesterday if to-day
has brought us one step forward ; but when the aim is the
same, when the spirit that moves is not self-glorification
184
LETTERS FROM MEN OF SCIENCE
but an humble desire to learn the truth, to be taught by
Nature, to read the deeds and the will of God in His works,
what do minor discrepancies in the reading of both Bible
and Nature import ! As often as I am thus or in any other
way brought nearer to you I lament that I do not live
nearer to you, and have not more frequent opportunities
of conversing with you. It is but lately I had a conversa-
tion with Pierce upon the mistaken pretensions of theo-
logians to understand aright God, as Creator, without
studying His works, when I incidentally remarked I
should not wonder if the day would come when they
would profess pantheistic views about creation, and it
would become our task to show them the immediate
intervention of the Deity not only in the great tvork of
creation, but in the interrupted providential government
of the material as well as the moral world. I had then
no idea that the case was so near at hand, and I am
happy that you have so promptly met it."
One correspondent says: " Humboldt stoutly main-
tained to a friend of mine last summer that it was not i
safe for a man to pursue geology in the United States, |
for fear of falling within the ban of the Church. He was
not so far out of the way." Another, a distinguished
Professor of Physics, and a Southerner, says :
" I do not know how it is with the clergymen of New
England, but can testify that to the south of Connecti-
cut, very many, probably the majority of, Protestant
divines have only crude notions of the relation of geol-
ogy to Scripture, and many denounce that branch of
science and its followers as infidel. Such a state of
things can awaken only painful emotions, and every effort
to enlighten these generally most worthy men deserves
success and reward."
To the credit of the Andover theologian, Rev. Dr. E.
A. Park, then editor of the Bibliotheca, it may be added
that he welcomed Dana's articles, and suggested to him
to write a few prefatory lines in order to awaken the
interest of theological students.
185
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
FROM G. P. BOND, THE ASTRONOMER
"Cambridge, March i8, 1856.
" I beg to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of your
review of Professor Lewis's Six Days of Creation.
" I have been much gratified with its decisive statement
of facts in those departments of science, in geology espe-
cially, having a bearing upon the question of the agree-
ment of the scientific with the Mosaic cosmology. To
my mind, evidence such as you have adduced is convin-
cing. Those to whom the idea of a direct revelation made
to Moses is, h priori, infinitely improbable, will probably
find means, satisfactory to themselves, for damaging your
course of argument, for the practice of throwing discredit
upon the writings of Moses, and especially upon the
opening chapters of Genesis, prevails so extensively that
it would seem to be one of the strongest bonds of sym-
pathy uniting the various forms of unbelief which infect
the moral atmosphere of our times."
FROM BENJAMIN PIERCE, THE MATHEMATICIAN
"Cambridge, July 11, 1856.
" The article commends itself to me as the happiest
possible reply to the attacks upon the religion of science.
It is fortunate for us that you have taken up this subject
with your firmness, fidelity, and composure. Upon your
points of the mutual adaptation of the human mind and
God's physical creation, I have myself delivered to my
class a course of lectures last winter, which I expect to
repeat next winter, either in New York or Washington.
I have looked at the matter, exclusively and designedly,
from the geometric standpoint, and think that you would
be surprised and pleased at some of my conclusions. I
hope at some time to have an opportunity of submitting
them to your good judgment and criticism."
FROM R. H. DANA, JR., THE WRITER ON INTER-
NATIONAL LAW
" Cambridge, February 17, 1856.
" I am much obliged to you for your review of Tayler
Lewis. I have read it with interest, and it seems to be
VIEWS OF ARNOLD GUYOT
a complete answer. I yield, however, to it reluctantly,
for I have always felt a high admiration of Professor
Lewis. His first addresses, at Schenectady and Burling-
ton (VL), were quite favorites with me, and he showed
signs of having one of the best minds in the country.
Moreover, in this case, I ought to say that I have not
read Mr. Lewis's address, and that I am no judge what-
ever of the questions of science or minute learning in dis-
pute. At Cambridge, when I was in college, we had very
inferior men in every department of the natural sciences,
and the natural sciences were presented to us only as arts,
detached from all those moral and intellectual relations
which command the respect and interest the feelings
and awaken the imaginations of the young. All the
best men took an unfortunate, but, you will admit, a
natural pride in neglecting them, and they were not ne-
cessary to collegiate rank. I have often regretted this
since. The first person that taught me the extent of
our loss was the great Dr. James Marsh (I think I may
call him the great Dr. Marsh), of Burlington, Vt., the
author of the preface to Coleridge. He first presented
to me the position of the study of the natural world as a
part of a great system of education — of development —
culminating in psychology."
It was largely under the influence of Guyot that Dana
continued to discuss the Mosaic cosmogony. These two
friends, impressed by the Bible lessons of their youth,
endeavored to see in the poetical expressions of the first
chapter of Genesis exact statements of those natural
phenomena which the eye of science recognizes in the
development of the universe. It is easy for us to see that
they were fettered by a mode of interpreting the Hebrew
Scriptures that is not now tenable, and that they were
supported in this method not only by the traditions of
early life, but also by the dominant theology of the com-
munities in which they dwelt. To the Mosaic cosmogony
Dana came back again after the publication of a volume
entitled Creation, which contained, in their latest and
fullest forms, the views of Guyot. These aspects of the
187
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
relations of science and religion had been often discussed
by the two devout geologists in conversation, and both
had lectured upon such subjects. Dana accepted many
of the positions that Guyot assumed, and when Creation
appeared, Dana reviewed it in the Bibliotheca Sacra for
April, 1885, and this article was expanded so as to make
a small volume. A copy of this review attracted the
attention of Mr. Gladstone, who wrote about it to the
author.
Dana's later views are succinctly stated in the follow-
ing letter to a clergyman :
" New Haven, Conn., March 3, 1889.
" The views I have been led to hold on evolution are
stated in my Geology, both the manual and the text-book,
at the close of the section on historical geology. While
admitting the derivation of man from an inferior species,
I believe that there was a Divine creative act at the origin
of man ; that the event was as truly a creation as if it had
been from earth or inorganic matter to man. I find
nothing in the belief to impair or disturb my religious
faith ; that is, my faith in Christ as the source of all hope
for time and for eternity. The new doctrines of science
have a tendency to spread infidelity. But it is because
the ideas are new and their true bearing is not understood.
The wave is already on the decline, and it is beginning to
be seen more clearly than ever that science can have
nothing to say on moral or spiritual questions; that it
fulfils its highest purpose in manifesting more and more
the glory of God."
Professor Fisher, of the Yale Theological Department,
has favored me with this characteristic anecdote :
" Professor Dana combined the utmost accuracy and
thoroughness in the special branches of science to which
he was chiefly devoted with a broad and, it is not too
much to say, a profound comprehension of the material
DR. HORACE BUSHNELL
world as a whole, its constitution and laws. This gave
an extraordinary interest to his scientific expositions, on
occasions when he chose to turn aside from the treatment
of topics within a restricted sphere.
" One example I happen to recall. At ' The Club ' —
a social and literary society of which Professor Dana was
a member before his health became seriously impaired—
the subject of discussion, one evening, was an essay of
Dr. Horace Bushnell in which that brilliant writer pointed
out alleged infelicities and deformities in nature, regard-
ing them as prearranged in anticipation of the introduc-
tion of moral evil, — the baleful shadows, as it were, of sin.
This idea Professor Dana controverted with a warmth
which was due partly to the respect felt by himself, as
well as by others, for the abilities of the author. Profes-
sor Dana's clear perceptions were associated with an
earnestness of conviction which often imparted a certain
intensity to his expressions. On this occasion he traversed
rapidly the field of material nature. Animals called hid-
eous in form were not so when looked at as parts_of the
zoological system ; they were beautiful. Earthquakes a
special contrivance ? If a thick piece of glass cools
quickly on one surface, it will crack. It must crack. So
must the earth under like conditions. It belongs to the
nature of matter. If the effects were different, it would
not be matter, etc. These are only fragmentary remi-
niscences of a talk very suggestive in itself, and doubly
interesting from the ardor which made the speaker
eloquent."
It is doubtful whether in the range of Christian biog-
raphies of the nineteenth century the like of Dana can
be found. Here is a man exclusively devoted to science.
To this his interest in politics, literature, education,
music, society, is completely subordinate. To explore
the regions of the unknown, to tread untrodden fields, to
record new facts, to discover better principles of classi-
fication, and to reveal, if possible, laws of nature hitherto
hidden, is the dominant occupation of his life. But sim-
ultaneously — apparent in his letters as a traveller and
explorer, manifegted constantly in his correspondence with
189
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
his mother, often revealed in his scientific writings, and
perpetually shown in his daily walk and conversation —
the transcendent purpose of his soul is the service of his
Master. ' ' Lord, I thank Thee that I think Thy thoughts
after Thee ' ' might have been his utterance. The astron-
omers and mathematicians of two or three centuries ago
— Kepler, Galileo, Copernicus, Newton, Leibnitz — were
men of strong religious convictions. So was Linnaeus.
So in recent days was Clerk Maxwell. So were many of
Dana's most distinguished scientific co-workers, — Ag-
assiz, Henry, Gray, Pierce, Torrey, Hitchcock. All of
them may have been as deeply religious as he ; but few
of them, if any, have left on record so many expressions
of religious devotion. In the changing environment of
life at sea, as well as in the seclusion of an academic call-
ing, Dana was constantly mindful of his supreme obliga-
tions. Like the keeper of a lighthouse, he kept his lamp
trimmed and burning ; like a gallant knight, he was loyal
to the banner that he bore. This was more apparent in
the words that came from his pen than in those that fell
from his lips. A selection might be made from his letters
which would apparently indicate that he was wholly ab-
sorbed by his religious duties, like one of the brotherhood
in a consecrated order, a Benedictine or Franciscan ; and
yet one might live near him and meet him day after day,
and year after year, without ever being annoyed by words
not fitly spoken, indeed without ever hearing any but the
most simple and natural allusions to his Christian faith.
The reserve so common among New Englanders was one
of his characteristics.
If it is borne in mind that during the last generation —
after the writings of Darwin and H uxley were widely read
— the study of biology came to be regarded by many re-
ligious people as of positively dangerous tendency, the
example of Dana in boldly upholding it will appear the
more impressive. He was never afraid of the truth, never
190
SURVIVAL OF HOSTILITY TO SCIENCE
afraid of inquiry, never afraid to abandon or to modify
his previous opinions if his reason was convinced ; and he
always kept his reason open to conviction, especially in
the domains to which his studies were directed. All this
makes him an interesting study in religious psychology.
Here is a " survival " of the hostility toward science,
— fortunately so rare in these days that it may be pre-
served as a curiosity. It is taken from a religious weekly
of long-continued authority and orthodoxy, published in
New York, July, 1897.
" Speaking at C the other day on the ' Limitations
of Science,' Dr. declared: ' Science is the slave of
the lamp to the Aladdin of materialism. Whatever
science does, it never touches the soul. We crave men-
tal hot rolls of morning papers and mixed drinks of flashy
news; but our diet is one that makes dreamers rather
than thinkers, dervishes and howling hoodlums rather
than serious doers of good deeds. Science puts deadly
instruments into our hands, but gives no impulse to our
hearts to use rightly, instead of abuse, the offered ad-
vantages.' Nothing on the philosophical side of mod-
ernism, we may add, is more necessary than a humbling
agnosticism as to science and a confident trustfulness as
to God in Christ. When men clearly perceive the limita-
tions of their false god science, they will be more apt to
look with appealing faith to the true God who made all
the materials of science and much more besides, and who
alone can save the soul while informing the mind."
It is a curious fact that, even now, at the end of the <
nineteenth century, when a young man is proposed as a,'
candidate for a chair of biology or natural history, the
question often comes back, — What are his views of the
" higher criticism " ? In some cases young men thor-
oughly qualified by their knowledge, exemplary in their
lives, and careful in their speech have been rejected be-
cause they were not ready with stereotyped answers when
questioned regarding the traditional interpretation of the
Mosaic cosmogony.
191
CHAPTER XI
THE " AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND ARTS "
The American yournal of Science and Arts — Sketch of its History — Its
Work and Influence in the Advancement of Science — Dana's Editorial
Labors.
VARIOUS allusions have already been made to the
American Journal of Science and Arts, which re-
ceived so large a part of the time of Professor Dana
during the last fifty years of his life, a service entitled to
ample recognition. A brief history based upon authentic
data, which appeared in the Yale Alumni Weekly for June
3, 1896, will here be repeated and supplemented.
This well-known periodical was established in 1818 by
Benjamin Silliman, and it has continued to be edited and
published by members of his family from that time to the
present, aided more or less by other scientific experts.
For a long time it was quoted as Silliman s Journal, but
as Dana's part in its management became more and more
important, it was properly spoken of as the American
Journal. Originally its scope was very comprehensive,
and the plan has never been formally altered. In recent
years, other journals of a special character have relieved
its pages of certain classes of articles, and yet it still re-
mains, with its comprehensive summaries and its admir-
able indexes, the best repository of American scientific
papers.
Its maintenance has not been free from difficulties.
No pecuniary assistance ever came to it from the treasury
192
THE "AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE"
of Yale College, nor from the Connecticut Academy of
Arts and Sciences. Its income was not sufficient for the
payment of a publisher, so that the business cares de-
volved upon the editorial staff, and the members of their
families. But it brought the editors into the best rela-
tions with the investigators of the country. They saw
many of the scientific observers who came here from
abroad; they kept up a correspondence with others
whom they did not see.
" Of the circumstances that led to its establishment and
of the struggles that were required to maintain it during
its early years, some account is given in the fiftieth
volume, which was issued in 1847, ^^^ which closed the
first series. Some of those who read these paragraphs
may be interested to turn back to this volume. In it also
are reprinted the ' Introductory Remarks ' in which, in the
first volume (1818), Professor Silliman announced to the
public his plans for the new journal. They deserve in-
deed to be read entire, for they give an interesting
glimpse of the times, as of the personality of the writer.
He begins as follows :
" ' The age in which we live is not less distinguished
by a vigorous and successful cultivation of physical
science than by its numerous and important applications
to the practical arts and to the common purposes of life.
" ' In every enlightened country, men illustrious for
talent, worth, and knowledge are ardently engaged in
enlarging the boundaries of natural science; and the
history of their labors and discoveries is communicated to
the world chiefly through the medium of scientific jour-
nals. The utility of such journals has thus become gen-
erally evident; they are the heralds of science; they
proclaim its toils and its achievements ; they demonstrate
its intimate connection as well with the comfort as with
the intellectual and moral improvement of our species;
and they often procure for it enviable honors and sub-
stantial rewards.'
" Then, after enumerating some of the prominent
scientific journals published in England and on the con-
tinent, he goes on to say :
■3 193
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
" ' From these sources our country reaps, and will long
continue to reap, an abundant harvest of information :
and if the light of science, as well as of day, springs from
the East, we will welcome the rays of both ; nor should
national pride induce us to reject so rich an offering.
" ' But can we do nothing in return ?
" ' In a general diffusion of useful information through
the various classes of society, in activity of intellect and
fertility of resource and invention, producing a highly in-
telligent population, we have no reason to shrink from a
comparison with any country. But the devoted cultiva-
tors of science in the United States are comparatively
few; they are, however, rapidly increasing in number.
Among them are persons distinguished for their capacity
and attainments, and, notwithstanding the local feelings
nourished by our State sovereignties and the rival claims
of several of our larger cities, there is evidently a predis-
position towards a concentration of effort, from which we
may hope for the happiest results, with regard to the
advancement of both the science and reputation of our
country.
" ' Is it not, therefore, desirable to furnish some rally-
ing point, some object sufficiently interesting to be
nurtured by common efforts and thus to become the
basis of an enduring common interest ? To produce
these efforts, and to excite this interest, nothing, perhaps,
bids fairer than a Scientific Journal.
" ' No one, it is presumed, will doubt that a journal
devoted to science, and embracing a sphere sufficiently
extensive to allure to its support the principal scientific
men of our country, is greatly needed ; if cordially sup-
ported, it will be successful, and if successful, it will be a
great public benefit. . . .
" ' Most bf the periodical works of our country have
been short-lived. This, also, may perish in its infancy ;
and if any degree of confidence is cherished that it will
attain a maturer age, it is derived from the obvious and
intrinsic importance of the undertaking ; from its being
built upon permanent and momentous national interests;
from the evidence of a decided approbation of the de-
sign, on the part of gentlemen of the first eminence,
obtained in the progress of an extensive correspondence;
from assurances of support, in the way of contributions,
194
SILLIMAN'S REVIEW
from men of ability in many sections of the Union;
and from the existence of such a crisis in the affairs of
this country and of the world as appears peculiarly auspi-
cious to the success of every wise and good undertaking.'
" After an interesting discussion of the claims of the
different branches of science as then recognized, the in-
troduction closes with the following paragraph :
" ' In a word, the whole circle of physical science is
directly applicable to human wants and constantly holds
out a light to the practical arts; it thus polishes and
benefits society and everywhere demonstrates both su-
preme intelligence and harmony and beneficence of design
in the Creator. '
" In reviewing the work accomplished at the close of
more than thirty years of editorial labor, the editor writes
with a modest self-congratulation, not unnatural. He
says, referring to the introduction which has been quoted :
" ' Such was the pledge which, on entering upon our
editorial labors in 1818, we gave to the public, and such
were the views which we then entertained regarding
science and the arts as connected with the interests and
honor of our country and of mankind. In the retrospect,
we realize a sober but grateful feeling of satisfaction in
having, to the extent of our power, discharged these self-
imposed obligations; this feeling is chastened also by a
deep sense of gratitude, first, to God for life and power
continued for so high a purpose; and next, to our noble
band of contributors, whose labors are recorded in half a
century of volumes, and in more than a quarter of a cen-
tury of years. We need not conceal our conviction, that
the views expressed in these " Introductory Remarks"
have been fully sustained by our fellow-laborers. . . .
If a retrospective survey of the labors of thirty years on
this occasion has rekindled a degree of enthusiasm, it is a
natural result of an examination of all our volumes, from
the contents of which we have endeavored to make out a
summary both of the laborers and their works. . . .
" ' The series of volumes must ever form a work of
permanent interest on account of its exhibiting the pro-
gress of American science during the long period which
it covers. Comparing 1817 with 1847, we mark on this
subject a very gratifying change. The cultivators of
195
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
science in the United States were then few — now they
are numerous. Societies and associations of various
names, for the cultivation of natural history, have been
instituted in very many of our cities and towns, and
several of them have been active and efificient in making
original observations and forming collections.
" ' While with our co-workers in many parts of our
broad land we rejoice in this auspicious change, we are
far from arrogating it to ourselves. Multiplied labors of
many hands have produced the great results. In the
place which we have occupied we have persevered in spite
of all discouragements, and may, with our numerous co-
adjutors, claim some share in the honors of the day. We
do not say that our work might not have been better
done— but we may declare with truth that we have done
all in our power, and it is something to have excited
many others to effort and to have chronicled their deeds
in our annals. Let those that follow us labor with like
zeal and perseverance, and the good cause will continue
to advance and prosper. It is the cause of truth — science
is only embodied and sympathized truth, and in the
beautiful conception of our noble Agassiz — " it tells the
thought of God." '
" It can be readily understood that to maintain a
scientific journal in this country in the early part of the
century was not an easy task, notwithstanding the gener-
ous support which the editor received from his personal
friends and from other workers in science in the country.
Nothing but the determination and energy of the founder
and editor of the journal could have enabled it to survive.
The enterprise proved at first to be pecuniarily unprofit-
able, and the endeavor, continued through the first ten
years, to find a publisher willing to carry it on, was finally
abandoned, and the editor after 1827 became responsible
alone. As time went on the difficulties diminished some-
what, and after the first fifteen years it was self-support-
ing, though its means were always small.
" Through the greater part of the first series of fifty
volumes, the editorial labors as well as the business part
of the work was carried on by Professor Silliman alone.
In 1838, however, his son, Benjamin Silliman, Jr., later
196
EDITORIAL COLLEAGUES
Professor of Chemistry in the college, was associated
with him, and with the beginning of the second series,
James D. Dana, his son-in-law, and soon to be made
Professor of Geology and Mineralogy, became also one
of the editors-in-chief. These two gentlemen then carried
on the work together, the senior editor having retired, but
later most of the editorial labor devolved upon Professor
Dana, and this remained true until the later years of his
life. Then these duties were assumed by his son, Edward
S. Dana, whose name appeared among the editors-in-chief
in 1875.
" Soon after the beginning of the second series, in
185 1, Dr. Wolcott Gibbs became an associate editor in
the departments of chemistry and physics; in 1853, Dr.
Asa Gray, and in the following year Professor Louis Agas-
siz were added in the same capacity ; about ten years
later Professors Brush, Johnson, and Newton, of New
Haven, became also similarly associated with the work of
the Journal. Since this time the corps of the associated
editors, changing and enlarging with the years, have
taken an essential part in the conduct of the Journal, and
much of what it has accomplished has been due to their
labors. As an illustration of this, the long series of
reviews and abstracts of botanical papers furnished by Dr.
Gray may be pointed to ; these are recognized as an im-
portant and most attractive part of the scientific work of
a naturalist.
" To-day, in 1896, the associate editors are eleven in
number, including Professors Newton, Marsh, Verrill,
and Williams, of New Haven ; Professors Goodale, Trow-
bridge, Bowditch, and Farlow, of Cambridge, with Pro-
fessor Barker, of Philadelphia, Professor Rowland, of
Baltimore, and Mr. J. S. Diller, of the United States
Geological Survey in Washington. The Journal, while
in a sense a local institution, has thus had the cordial
support of the workers elsewhere, especially at Harvard
University. Though its home is in New Haven, it has
always held a national position, its sphere extending out
over the entire country.
" It has been stated that the first series included fifty
volumes. Two were issued annually and each consisted
of two numbers. With the second series, which com-
menced in 1846, the Journal ceased to be quarterly, the
197
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
numbers being now issued every other month. With
the third series, begun in 1871, it became a monthly.
The fourth series began in January, 1896, with Volume
151 of the entire series.
" The scope of the Journal has been narrowed some-
what as the time has gone on. In its early years the ap-
plications of science to the arts were largely represented
in the subjects discussed in the papers ; later these took
a less prominent place and gradually the sphere was re-
stricted to pure science alone. In 1880 this change was
recognized by the omission of the words ' and Arts ' from
the title.
" What the Journal has done for science during its
long life of nearly fourscore years, and to what extent it
has succeeded in placing before the scientific public the
results of the best work in science in this country, can be
most adequately estimated by referring to the ijo
volumes bearing the name, on the shelves of the Univer-
sity Library. With the increase of the number of scien-
tific workers and the development of other centres of
intellectual activity, there has been naturally a tendency
to start other scientific journals, for the most part in
special lines, which now share with the American Journal
the privilege of publishing the results of American scien-
tific work. This has not, however, served to rob the
older periodical of the pre-eminent position it has so long
occupied. What the Journal has done and is doing for
the reputation and best interests of Yale may be readily
inferred without being specially enlarged upon. One re-
sult of its activity may be alluded to, that might otherwise
be overlooked, namely the part it has played in helping
on the development of the Yale Library.
" Allusion has been made to the difificulties early found
in gaining for the Journal adequate pecuniary support,
and to the fact that these difificulties gradually disap-
peared as its age and reputation increased. It is still
true, however, as it has always been, that though able to
carry itself, it needs much more money with which to
meet its unusual expenses in the way of enlarging the
monthly numbers, and for work in the best and most
satisfactory manner. It is hoped that the time is not far
distant when it may have a fund to furnish a moderate
income for illustrations.
19B
INADEQUATE PECUNIARY SUPPORT
" In the meantime the Journal is supported by its sub-
scription list alone. This grows too slowly, but is bound
to grow more not only as the value of the Journal is ap-
preciated, but as the idea is recognized that its support
furthers the cause of science and of this University." —
From the Yale Alumni Weekly, June 3, 1896.
199
CHAPTER XII
THE " MANUAL OF GEOLOGY"
The Manual of Geology — Dana's Contributions to this Science — Analysis of
the Manual, by Prof. H. S. Williams— Its Scientific Attitude— The
Doctrine of Evolution.
DANA'S Manual of Geology first appeared in 1862, and
the subsequent editions came in 1874, 1880, and
1895. This work, as his son has said, is not simply a
compilation of facts, but a development of the whole sub-
ject with a breadth, philosophy, and originality of treat-
ment that have seldom been attempted.
Dana's Preparation for this Work
" Each edition," continues the same authority, " was
carefully worked over, and the last was completely re-
written from beginning to end. It was a great pleasure
to him in connection with this work to have the constant
and ready co-operation of a number of the able young
geologists in the country, without whose aid the volume
could not have been so satisfactorily completed. Similar
co-operation and pleasant relations he had enjoyed while
at work upon his earlier volumes both in geology and
mineralogy, but this is hardly the place to speak of that
in detail. Allusion has also been made to the smaller
works, the Text-book (first edition, 1864), and the Geo-
logical Story (1875); of the last the manuscript of a new
edition is now [1895] in the printers' hands.
" In the general department of geology his contribu-
tions again were largely to subjects of a broad and philo-
sophical character ; the origin of continents and of the
200
"MANUAL OF GEOLOGY"
grand features of the earth was discussed in early papers
as well as later; the problems of mountain-making and
the phenomena of volcanic action, to which he devoted
much thought, are some of the other topics treated at
length.
" But, as a geologist, he was not only a thinker and
writer in his study, but also an active observer in the
field. This remark applies obviously to the four years
with the Exploring Expedition, but further particularly
to the period from 1872 to 1887, when he was carrying on
the study of the crystalline rocks of the so-called Taconic
system, chiefly in western New England ; also of the
glacial phenomena of southern New England (1870 et
seq.). The region included in western Connecticut and
Massachusetts, and extending westward into New York
and north to Vermont, was tramped and driven over
many times, until one might almost say that there was
hardly an outcrop accessible to any of the roads in this
difficult region that had not been visited, its rocks
examined, and observations recorded on the dip and
strike. These results and the conclusions derived from
them fill many pages of this Journal. Against the dictum
that all crystalline rocks, not volcanic, must be of pre-
Paleozoic age, he rebelled strongly, as against all similar
dogmatic treatment of scientific facts and principles. His
strength of feeling on this point was what largely prompted
him to spend so much time and strength in this investiga-
tion.
" He was no less interested in the country immediately
about New Haven, especially as regards its glacial phe-
nomena. In 1870, he published a large memoir on the
geology of the New Haven region. The observations,
recorded in this paper, were made at a time when work at
his table was impossible and the open-air exercise brought
profit to health as well as scientific results. Twenty years
later, when again incapacitated from writing and close
thinking, he issued a small volume entitled The Four
Rocks of the New Haven Region, describing some of the
chief features of the region in popular form." *
* From the memorial in the American Journal of Science, by E. S. Dana.
201
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
ANALYSIS OF THE " MANUAL" BY PROFESSOR
H. S. WILLIAMS
A fuller analysis of the Manual of Geology was prepared
by Prof. H. S. Williams, the present incumbent of the
Silliman Professorship of Geology in Yale University,
and a part of his analysis will here be quoted. The
entire paper may be found in the Journal of Geology,
Chicago, 1895, vol. iii., p. 6.
" Geology is a much more complex and miscellaneous
science than either mineralogy or zoology, and therefore
it is difficult to so arrange the facts as to exhibit their re-
lation to any single common principle. But we believe
Dana's Manual has come nearer to the setting forth of
such an ideal system of geology than has been elsewhere
attained. The central ideas in this system are: {a) the
earth a cooling globe ; {b) contracting as it cools ; {c) differ-
ences of depression and elevation of the surface the direct
result of the unequal contracting; {d) oceans and con-
tinents permanent; (e) trends of shores, of islands and
mountains, according to system, and expressive of lines
of weakness, and of chief foldings and fractures; (/)
epeirogenic and orogenic phenomena the direct results of
the contracting; {g) climates and currents of the ocean
also the effects of changes in elevation of the continents ;
{k) the separation of the history of the earth into ages by
the revolutions at the climaxes in the contraction, when
strain and tension came to exceed strength and resistance,
and resulted in folding and faulting and local disturbances,
and were marked by the greater or less extermination of
life, followed by repeopling by, and the modification of
the successors ; (?) the surface shaping of the continents
by ice and water action also influenced by oscillation of
level of the continents ; and all of these various factors
taking a part in producing the present complex condition
of the earth's surface.
" The earth as a whole was the unit which was before
his mind as he constructed this system of geology. As
he traced its history he saw in the successive events of
geology the marks of the gradual development of a
vaporous, then incandescent, and finally hardened, con-
202
"MANUAL OF GEOLOGY"
tracting, cooling globe. Others had spoken of geology
as a history; but he appears to have been the first to
write a manual of geology in English based on this idea.
' In history,' he commented, ' the phases of every age are
deeply rooted in the preceding, and intimately dependent
on the whole past. There is a literal unfolding of events
as time moves on, and this is eminently true of geology.'
Hence he began his geology with the beginnings, and
followed the course of the history of the earth onward.
" Again, to Dana the means of measuring the sequence
of events was the succession of fossils. ' Geology is not
simply the science of rocks, for rocks are but incidents in
the earth's history, and may or may not have been the
same in distant places. It has its more exalted end, —
even the study of the progress of life from its earliest
dawn to the appearance of man ; and instead of saying
that fossils are of use to determine rocks, we should
rather say that the rocks are of use for the display of the
succession of fossils. Both statements are correct; but
the latter is the fundamental truth in the science.' It
was this idea which dominated in his classification of
geological formations.
" American geologists are all aware that it is from the
use of Dana's system that the habit of speaking of geo-
logical Periods and Epochs has been acquired. Other
manuals speak of formations, systems, and stages, of
series and groups ; rocks being classified as if they were
distinguished by some qualities of their own. It is from
Dana that we have learned to classify geological forma-
tions in relation to the stages of progress in the building
of the continents and its local structural features, and to
regard rocks as not simply aggregates of mineral matter,
but as geological formations bearing a definite relation-
ship to the progress in the history of the earth, and hence
as belonging to, and to be defined as of a particular period
or epoch. In the first edition of his Manual, in 1862, the
author wrote :
" ' It has been the author's aim to present for study, not
a series of rocks with their dead fossils, but the successive
phases in the history of the earth, — its continents, seas,
climates, life, and the various operations of progress.' *
* Manual of Geology : treating of the principles of the science with spe-
203
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Development of the Earth
" The grand outlines of Dana's system of the earth's
development are given in a few sentences in his article
' On the Plan of Development in the Geological History
of North America,' first published in the American Jour-
nal of Science in 1856.*
" ' What, then, is the principle,' he wrote, ' of develop-
ment through which these grand results in the earth's
structure and features have been brought about ? We
detect a plan of progress in the developing germ; we
trace out the spot which is first defined, and thence follow
the evolution in different lines to the completed result:
may we similarly search out the philosophy of the earth's
progress ? The organizing agencies in the sphere are:
(i) Chemical combination and crystallization. (2) Heat,
in vaporization, fusion, and expansion, with the correlate
force of contraction which has been in increasing action
from the time the globe began to be a cooling globe.
(3) The external physical agencies, pre-eminently water
and the atmosphere, chiselling and moulding the surface.
(4) The superadded agency of life. Of these causes, the
first is the molecular power by which the material of the
crust has been prepared. The third and fourth have only
worked over the exposed surface. But the second, while
molecular in origin, is mechanical in action, and in the
way of contraction, especially, it has engaged the univer-
sal sphere, causing a shrinkage of its vast sides, a heaving
and sinking in world-wide movements. Its action, there-
fore, has been coextensive with the earth's surface through
the earth's history ' {loc. cit., p. 340). On a later page a
footnote again refers to this same dominant idea : ' I have
alluded on a former page to an analogy between the pro-
gress of the earth and that of a germ. In this there is
nothing fanciful; for there is a general law, as is now
known, at the basis of all development which is strikingly
exhibited even in the earth's physical progress. The law,
cial reference to American Geological History, for the use of colleges,
academies, and schools of science, by James D. Dana, pp. xvi.-7g8, illus-
trated by a chart of the world, and over one thousand figures, mostly from
American sources. Philadelphia and London, 1862.
* American Journal of Science, Series II., vol. xxii., p. 339.
204
"MANUAL OF GEOLOGY"
as it has been recognized, is simply this : Unity evolving
multiplicity of parts through successive individualizations
proceeding from the more fundamental onward ' (p. 346).
" Notwithstanding all the additions of details and
statistics in illustration and elaboration of this idea, we
see, up to the last, this is the dominating principle about
which his system of geology was built ; and the American
continent, as its geological features were gradually opened
to light, was recognized as the most typical illustration of
this system to be found upon the globe. In the last
edition of the Manual we find these words: ' North
American geology is still its chief subject. . . . The
idea long before recognized [i. e., before 1855) that all
observations on the rocks, however local, bore directly on
the stages in the growth of the continent, derives univer-
sal importance from the recognition of North America as
the world's type-continent — the only continent that gives,
in a full and simple way, the fundamental principles of
continental development.'
" He was not, however, carried away by theories; his
scientific research was always deep, thorough, and exact.
As he was preparing the report on the geology of the
Exploring Expedition he was not satisfied with simply
describing what he saw. He not only made a thorough
study of the volcanoes in the islands of the Pacific and
on the borders of the South American continent, and
Vesuvius and .^tna in Italy [his first scientific paper, as
before noticed, was a letter written from the U. S. ship
United States, in 1834, " On the Condition of Vesuvius in
July, 1834 "■], but in his investigations of the many ques-
tions raised by these observations he also studied the sur-
face of the moon, — and comparison of the already cooled
moon and its extinct craters with the present condition
of the earth suggested the chief phenomena about which
was later elaborated his theory of the earth's develop-
ment as a cooling and necessarily contracting globe.
" The general contraction theory was not original with
Dana, as he acknowledged in these papers. He found it
advocated by Leibnitz in 1 691. Babbage and De la
Beche had formulated the general theory of changes of
level by contraction and expansion and the rise of con-
tinents. Mather, Elie de Beaumont, Lyell, and others
had made more or less reference to the principle, and M.
205
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Constant Provost had published in i860 his view that the
agency of contraction alone will account for the various
changes of level which the continental areas have under-
gone. There were, however, certain features which were
his own, as shown in the following passage:
" ' The reader will perceive that although the main
principles of Provost are sustained by the writer in this
and his former paper, the manner in which these prin-
ciples are carried out, is in some respects a little different,
especially in the idea that the oceanic areas have been
the more igneous parts of the globe, and for this reason
have contracted most; that certain orographic changes
over the continents are due to contraction beneath the
oceanic regions, and that the fissurings and mountain
elevations have for this reason taken place in some in-
stances near the margin of a continent, or near the limit
between the great contracting and non-contracting (com-
paratively non-contracting) areas. The efficiency of the
cause of contraction has appeared to the writer to be
wider and more evident, as the subject has received closer
attention ; and the study of it very naturally led to
modification of former views.' *
■" Thus, it will be seen that, although others had before
conceived of the idea of the general effects of contraction,
it was to Dana the working hypothesis in the construction
of a system of geology.
" Although later investigations have added new light
for the interpretation of the details of mountain building
and earth shaping, a reference to the chief points of the
theory, as elaborated by Dana in 1847, will show how
much we are indebted to him for a clear exposition of the
general principles of the science. . . .
" While Dana was a consistent uniformitarian, in so far
as to interpret past phenomena of the earth's history by
the operations of forces such as are now in action, he
clearly saw the natural relations of periods of special dis-
turbance of the strata by the reaching of high degrees of
tension and their expression in elevation and fractures
along lines of tension, and the more quiet periods of chief
sedimentation. This principle is better elaborated in the
latest edition of the Manual than in previous works, on
* American Journal of Science, Series II., vol. iii., p. 179, 1847,
206
"MANUAL OF GEOLOGY"
account of the fuller knowledge of the facts finally at-
tained. In the development of the American continent
there are recognized, not only long periods of sedimenta-
tion and accumulation of strata in synclinoria, but separat-
ing these periods of quiet there were revolutions resulting
in each case in lifting greater or smaller areas permanently
above the surface of the ocean, and the later of these
revolutions were the grander, in amount of elevations and
mountain making, in fracturing and lava outflows, and in
production of volcanoes, because, as his theory explains,
of the greater thickness and rigidity of the crustal portion
of the earth incident to the secular cooling of the globe.
" Not only did Dana take this broad and comprehen-
sive view of the whole system of geological phenomena,
but he made a thorough and particular study of several of
the more difficult problems of American geology ; among
them may be named the interpretation of the glacial
phenomena over New England and the classification of
the period for North America, the solution of the
' Taconic ' controversy, and the associated questions of
metamorphism and mountain building."
207
CHAPTER XIII
THE STUDY OF CORALS
Prolonged Studies of Zoophytes and Coral Islands — Extracts from the Vol.
ume on Corals — Darwin's Coral Reefs — Erroneous Notions of the Coral
World — Montgomery's Pelican Island — Origin of Coral Sands and
Reef Rock — Life of Primitive People — Changes of Level in the Ocean
Bed — One of Dana's Lectures.
TH E growth of coral reefs and islands and the life of
the zoophytes were among the subjects which
always had a special fascination for Professor Dana. He
frequently recurred to them in his leisure hours as well
as in his serious work. If the scientific reader desires to
know the conclusions which this naturalist reached, he
will, of course, acquaint himself with the great memoirs
of the Exploring Expedition (on Geology and on Zoophytes,
already referred to), and with numerous papers that are
printed in the American Journal of Science and Arts.
But the general reader may enter this attractive field
through a more accessible doorway, and he may find his
excursion enlightened by diagrams, maps, and engrav-
ings, and by many glowing passages of enthusiastic de-
scription. The doorway referred to is an octavo volume
on Corals and Coral Islands, first printed in 1872, revised
in 1874, and carried to a third edition in 1890. It is to
this latest revision that reference should be made.* Visits
to the fine collections which may be seen in the Peabody
* Corals and Coral Islands, by James D. Dana. Third edition. New
York : Dodd & Mead, 1890, 8vo.
208
DANA AND DARWIN
Museum of Yale University, and in other great museums
of natural history, may quicken the desire to hear the
words of a wise interpreter.
Dana and Darwin
The relations of Dana's researches to Darwin's are thus
indicated :
" Our cruise led us partly along the course followed by
Mr. Charles Darwin during the years 1831 to 1836, in the
voyage of ^e: Beagle, under Captain Fitzroy; and, where
it diverged from his route, it took us over scenes, similar
to his, of coral and volcanic islands. Soon after reaching
Sydney, Australia, in 1839, a brief statement of Mr. Dar-
win's theory with respect to the origin of the atoll and
barrier forms of reefs was found in the papers. The para-
graph threw a flood of light over the subject, and called
forth feelings of peculiar satisfaction, and of gratefulness
to Mr. Darwin, which still come up afresh whenever the
subject of coral islands is mentioned. The Gambler
Islands, in the Paumotus, which gave him the key to the
theory, I had not seen ; but on reaching the Feejees, six
months later, in 1840, I found there similar facts on a still
grander scale and of more diversified character, so that I
was afterward enabled to speak of his theory as established
with more positiveness than he himself, in his philosophic
caution, had been ready to adopt. His work on Coral
Reefs appeared in 1842, when my report on the subject
was already in manuscript. It showed that the conclu-
sions on other points, which we had independently
reached, were for the most part the same. The principal
points of difference relate to the reason for the absence
of corals from some coasts, and the evidence therefrom as
to changes of level, and the distribution of the oceanic
regions of elevation and subsidence — topics which a wide
range of travel over the Pacific brought directly and con-
stantly to my attention."
Darwin's gratified reception of Dana's Geology of the
Expedition is thus mentioned in his memoirs, under the
date of December 4, 1849:
»4 209
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
" Dana has sent me the Geology of the United States
Expedition, and I have just read the Coral part. To
begin with a modest speech, I am astonished by my own
accuracy! If I were to rewrite now my Coral book,
there is hardly a sentence I should have to alter, except
that I ought to have attributed more effect to recent vol-
canic action in checking growth of coral. When I say all
this, I ought to add the consequences of the theory on
areas of subsidence are treated in a separate chapter to
which I have not come, and in this, I suspect, we shall
differ more. Dana talks of agreeing with my theory in
most points; I can find out not one in which he differs.
Considering how infinitely more he saw of coral reefs than
I did, this is wonderfully satisfactory to me. He treats
me most courteously. There now, my vanity is pretty
well satisfied."
Popular Errors Corrected
The erroneous notions of the coral world, widely prev-
alent even among educated people, are thus referred to
by Dana:
" A singular degree of obscurity has possessed the
popular mind with regard to the growth of corals and
coral reefs, in consequence of the readiness with which
speculations have been supplied and accepted in place of
facts; and to the present day the subject Is seldom men-
tioned without the qualifying adjective mysterious ex-
pressed or understood. Some writers, rejecting the idea'
which science had reached, that reefs or rocks could be
due in any way to ' animalcules,' have talked of electrical
forces, the first and last appeal of ignorance. One author,
not many years since, made the fishes of the sea the
masons, and in his natural wisdom supposed that they
worked with their teeth in building up the great reef.
Many of those who have discoursed most poetically on
zoophytes have imagined that the polyps were mechani-
cal workers, heaping up the piles of coral rock by their
united labors ; and science is hardly yet rid of such terms
as polypary, polypidom, which imply that each coral is
the constructed hive or house of a swarm of polyps, like
the honeycomb of the bee, orthe hillock of a colony of ants.
" Science, while it penetrates deeply the system of
2IO
a z
POPULAR ERRORS CORRECTED
things about us, sees everywhere, in the dim limits of
vision, the word mystery. Surely there is no reason why
the simplest of organisms should bear the impress most
strongly. If we are astonished that so great deeds should
proceed from the little and low, it is because we fail to
appreciate that little things, even the least of living or
physical existences in nature, are, under God, expressions
throughout of comprehensive laws, laws that govern alike
the small and the great.
" It is not more surprising, nor a matter of more diffi-
cult comprehension, that a polyp should form structures
of stone (carbonate of lime) called coral, than that the
quadruped should form its bones, or the mollusk its shell.
The processes are similar, and so the result. In each
case it is a simple animal secretion ; a secretion of stony
matter from the aliment which the animal receives, pro-
duced by the parts of the animal fitted for this secreting
process ; and in each, carbonate of lime is a constituent,
or one of the constituents, of the secretion.
" This power of secretion is then one of \^& first and
most common of those that belong to living tissues ; and
though differing in different organs according to their
end or function, it is all one process, both in its nature
and cause, whether in the animalcule or man. It belongs
eminently to the lowest kinds of life. These are the best
stone-makers; for in their simplicity of structure they
may be almost all stone and still carry on the processes
of nutrition and growth. Throughout geological time
they were the agents appointed to produce the material
of limestones, and also to make even the flint and many
of the siliceous deposits of the earth's formations.
" Coral is never, therefore, the handiwork of the many-
armed polyps; for it is no more a result of labor than
bone-making in ourselves. And again, it is not a collec-
tion of cells into which the coral animals may withdraw
for concealment any more than the skeleton of a dog is
its house or cell ; for every part of the coral — or corallum,
as it is now called in science — of a polyp, in most reef-
making species, is enclosed within the polyp, where it
was formed by the secreting process. ' '
In 1853 Dana wrote the following letter to Norton's
Literary Gazette:
211
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
FROM PROFESSOR DANA
Montgomery s "Pelican Island"
"New Haven, May 27, 1853.
" I observe that in your last number you make honor-
able mention of my opinion on the science of Montgom-
ery's Pelican Island, and cite a paragraph from the poem.
That paragraph, as it stands on your page, might be
taken for the only objectionable passage, although but
one among many, and far from the worst. It contains
two important errors — one is, its attributing the formation
of the coral to the instinct and labor of the coral animal,
as if a product analogous to the honeycomb of the bee,
or the hill of the ant ; and the other is the idea that the
coral polyp lives within the coral as its cell ; whereas, in
fact, the coral is a secretion within the polyp, and is
wholly internal, as much so as the skeleton in our own
bodies. There is no more labor or instinct in the growth
of a reef than in the accumulation of beds of peat in a
peat swamp, or of deposits of shells along a coast. The
peat and the mollusk in this respect merit as pretty a
verse as the coral polyp. The errors are old errors, and
have pervaded science as well as popular belief, and as
truth is the end of science, if not of poetry, there is suffi-
cient reason assuredly for excluding such verses from
scientific works.
" But never were the beautiful inhabitants of the coral
world so grossly defamed, or nature so utterly belied, as
by some of Montgomery's lines which you have not
quoted. He seems to have imagined that the wonder of
the result would appear the more wonderful and perhaps
poetical, according to his conceptions, by attributing
the most unsightly forms and disgusting habits to the
coral animal. He says, ' Shapeless they seemed,'— an
epithet as true of the flowers of our gardens, for the
coral animals closely resemble flowers in form and beauty
of coloring; and ends a line thus begun with ' endless
shapes assumed ' ; while in fact the variation of form
that is observed is an expanding and shutting of the
polyp-flower, somewhat analogous to the opening and
closing of the petals of a daisy. He goes on: ' Elon-
gated like worms, they writhed and shrunk their tortuous
212
MONTGOMERY'S "PELICAN ISLAND"
bodies to grotesque dimensions ' ; and so on, with much
else of a similar character. See also the page beyond :
From graves innumerable, punctures fine
In the close coral, capillary swarms
Of reptiles, horrent as Medusa's snakes.
Covered the bald-pate reef.
And in fact nearly every idea in the twenty lines preced-
ing and following is false, although mixed with some
pretty sentiments.
" Montgomery must have studied nature with little at-
tention not to have learned the first lesson, that beauty
marks every object, be it even the weed, shell, or polyp
of the deep ocean to which the eye may not penetrate.
It is the most marvellous feature of created objects, that
external beauty of form and coloring should have been
made consistent by the Author of Nature with all the
various ends to be accomplished. After living, I may
say, among the coral groves for two or three summers,
and deriving a high enjoyment from the scenes they pre-
sented, I have felt half provoked that the portrait of the
zoophyte should have been drawn in so hideous a style
by a prominent poet like Montgomery; and that his
verses should not only be quoted as ' charming ' by the
young ladies, but should be received as good enough
truth for the student of science. It was natural, there-
fore, that I should have expressed myself with some
strength in the brief allusion to the Pelican Island. On
pages 47 and beyond, and pages 69, etc., of the work
on Coral Islands, and also at more length in my Report on
Zoophytes, you will find some of the facts that come into
competition with the poet's conceptions. Facts are
God's conceptions, or expressions of His will and infinite
perfections. The poet may throw them into new com-
binations — evoke new beauties and sublimity thereby —
but when false to the principles at the basis of facts, he de-
grades himself and his subject. This sentiment will not
be esteemed a heresy of dry science by the true poet. I
would not be understood as passing a general condemna-
tion on the poetry of Montgomery ; there is so much to
be admired, that his errors are the more injurious if left
uncorrected. ' '
213
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
The Growth of Coral Reefs
The following paragraphs show the views of Professor
Dana in respect to the origin of coral sands and the reef
rock:
" Very erroneous ideas prevail respecting the appear-
ance of a bed or area of growing corals. The submerged
reef is often thought of as an extended mass of coral,
alive uniformly over its upper surface, and as gradually
enlarging upward through this living growth ; and such
preconceived views, when ascertained to be erroneous by
observation, have sometimes led to scepticism with regard
to the zoophytic origin of the reef rock. Nothing is
wider from the truth : and this must have been inferred
from the descriptions already given. Another glance at
the coral plantation should be taken by the reader before
proceeding with the explanations which follow.
" Coral plantation and coral field are more appropriate
appellations than coral garden, and convey a juster im-
pression of the surface of a growing reef. Like a spot of
wild land, covered in some parts, even over acres, with
varied shrubbery, in other parts bearing only occasional
tufts of vegetation in barren plains of sand, here a clump
of saplings, and there a carpet of variously colored flowers
in these barren fields — such is the coral plantation^
Numerous kinds of zoophytes grow scattered over the
surface, like vegetation upon the land; there are large
areas that bear nothing, and others of great extent that
are thickly overgrown. There is, however, no green-
sward to the landscape ; sand and fragments fill up the
bare intervals between the flowering tufts: or, where
the zoophytes are crowded, there are deep holes among
the stony stems and folia.
" These fields of growing coral spread over submarine
lands, such as the shores of islands and continents, where
the depth is not greater than their habits require, just as
vegetation extends itself through regions that are con-
genial. The germ, or ovule, which, when first produced,
is free, finds afterward a point of rock, or dead coral, or
some support, to plant itself upon, and thence springs
the tree or other forms of coral growth.
214
ORIGIN OF CORAL REEFS
" The analogy to vegetation does not stop here. It is
well known that the debris of the forest, decaying leaves
and stems, and animal remains, add to the soil ; that in
the marsh or swamp — where decaying vegetation is mostly
under water, and sphagnous mosses grow luxuriantly,
ever alive and flourishing at top, while dead and dying
below — accumulations of such debris are ceaselessly in
progress, and deep beds of peat are formed. Similar is
the history of the coral mead. Accumulations of frag-
ments and sand from the coral zoophytes growing over
the reef-grounds, and of shells and other relics of organic
life, are constantly making ; and thus a bed of coral debris
is formed and compacted. There is this difference, that
a large part of the vegetable material consists of elements
which escape as gases on decomposition, so that there is
a great loss in bulk of the gathered mass ; whereas coral
is an enduring rock material undergoing no change except
the mechanical one of comminution. The animal portion
is but a mere fraction of the whole zoophyte. The coral
debris and shells fill up the intervals between the coral
patches, and the cavities among the living tufts, and in
this manner produce the reef deposit; and the bed is
finally consolidated, while still beneath the water.
" The coral zoophyte is especially adapted for such a
mode of reef-making. Were the nourishment drawn
from below, as in most plants, the solidifying coral rock
would soon destroy all life : instead of this, the zoophyte
is gradually dying below while growing above ; and the
accumulations of debris cover only the dead portions.
" But on land there is the decay of the year, and that
of old age, producing vegetable debris ; and storms pros-
trate forests. And are there corresponding effects among
the groves of the sea ? It has been shown that coral
plantations, from which reefs proceed, do not grow in the
' calm and still ' depths of the ocean. They are to be
found amid the very waves, and extend but little below
a hundred feet, which is far within the reach of the sea's
heavier commotions. To a considerable extent they
grow in the very face of the tremendous breakers that
strike and batter as they drive over the reefs. Here is
an agent which is not without its effects. The enormous
masses of uptorn rock found on many of the islands may
give some idea of the force of the lifting wave ; and there
2IS
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
are examples on record, to be found in various treatises
on geology, of still more surprising effects.
" The progress of the coral formation is like its com-
mencement. The same causes continue, with similar re-
sults, and the reader might easily supply the details from
the facts already presented. The production of debris
will necessarily continue to go on : a part will be swept
by the waves, across the patch of reef, into the lagoon or
channel beyond, while other portions will fill up the
spaces among the corals along its margin, or be thrown
beyond the margin and lodge on its surface. The layer
of dead coral rock which makes the body of the reef has
its border of growing corals, and is thus undergoing ex-
tension at its margin, both through the increase in the
corals and the debris dropped among them.
" But besides the small fragments, larger masses will
be thrown on the reefs by the more violent waves, and
commence to raise them above the sea. The clinker
fields of coral by this means produced constitute the first
step in the formation of dry land. Afterward, by further
contributions of the coarse and fine coral material, the
islets are completed, and raised as far out of the water as
the waves can reach — that is, about ten feet with a tide
of three feet ; and sixteen to eighteen feet with a tide of
six or. seven.
" The ocean is thus the architect, while the coral
polyps afford the material for the structure ; and, when
all is ready, it sows the land with seed brought from dis-
tant shores, covering it with verdure and flowers.
" The existence of harbors ahoxxt coral-bound lands, and
of entrances through reefs, is largely attributable to the
action of tidal or local marine currents. The presence
of fresh-water streams has some effect toward the same
end, but much less than has been supposed. These
causes are recognized by Mr. Darwin in nearly the same
manner as here ; yet the views presented may be taken
as those of an independent witness, as they were written
out before the publication of his work.
" There are usually strong tidal currents through the
reef channels and openings. These currents are modified
in character by the outline of the coast, and are strongest
wherever there are coves or bays to receive the advancing
tides. The harbor of Apia, on the north side of Upolu,
216
ORIGIN OF CORAL REEFS
affords a striking illustration of this general principle.
The coast at this place has an indentation 2000 yards
wide and nearly 1000 deep. The reef extends from
either side, or cape, a mile out to sea, leaving between
an entrance for ships. The harbor averages ten feet in
depth, and at the entrance is fifteen feet. In this
harbor there is a remarkable out-current along the bot-
tom, which, during gales, is so strong at certain states of
the tide that a ship at anchor, although a wind may be
blowing directly in the harbor, will often ride with a slack
cable; and in more moderate weather the vessel may tail
out against the wind. Thus when no current but one in-
ward is perceived at the surface, there is an undercurrent
acting against the keel and bottom of the vessel, which
is of sufficient strength to counteract the influence of the
winds on the rigging and hull. The cause of such a cur-
rent is obvious. The sea is constantly pouring water over
the reefs into the harbor, and the tides are periodically
adding to the accumulation ; the indented shores form a
narrowing space where these waters tend to pile up ; es-
cape consequently takes place along the bottom by the
harbor entrance, this being the only means of exit. There
are many such cases about all the islands. In a group
like the Feejees, where a number of the islands are
large and the reef very extensive, the currents are still
more remarkable, and they change in direction with the
tides.
" The results from marine currents are often increased
by waters from the island streams ; for the coves, where
harbors are most likely to be found, are also the em-
bouchures of valleys and the streamlets they contain.
The fresh waters poured in add to the amount of water,
and increase the rapidity of the out-current. At Apia,
Upolu, there is a stream thirty yards wide; and many
other similar instances might be mentioned. These
waters from the land bring down also much detritus,
especially during freshets, and the depositions aid those
from marine currents in keeping the bottom clear of
growing coral. These are the principal means by which
fresh-water streams contribute toward determining the
existence of harbors ; for little is due to their freshening
the salt waters of the sea.
" The small influence of the last-mentioned cause —
217
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
the one most commonly appealed to — will be obvious,
when we consider the size of the streams of the Pacific
islands, and the fact that fresh water is lighter than salt,
and therefore, instead of sinking, flows on over its sur-
face."
Discovery of Bowditch Island
A striking picture of life among the most primitive
people, on an island discovered by the Expedition and
named " Bowditch Island," will next be given.
' ' This island and the two others near it were among
the few, perhaps the last, examples that remained until
1840, of Pacific lands never before visited by the white
man. The people therefore were in that purely savage
state which Captain Cook found almost universal through
the ocean in the latter part of last century. A few words
respecting our reception at this coral island may not,
therefore, be an improper digression.
" The islanders knew nothing of any other land or
people: — an ignorance not surprising, since the lagoons
of the group have no good entrances, and a nation cannot
be great in navigation or discovery without harbors. As
a consequence, our presence was to them like an appari-
tion. The simple inhabitants took us for gods from the
sun, and, as we landed, came with abundant gifts of such
things as they had, to propitiate their celestial visitors.
They, no doubt, imagined that our strange ship had
sailed off from the sun when it touched the water at sun-
rise, or sunset, and any child among them could see that
this was a reasonable supposition. The king, after em-
bracing Captain Hudson, as the latter states in his Journal
(Wilkes's Narrative), rubbed noses, pointed to the sun,
howled, moaned, hugged him again and again, put a mat
around his waist, securing it with a cord of human hair,
and repeated the rubbing of noses and the howling ; and
the moment the captain attempted to leave his side, he
set up again a most piteous howl, and repeated in a
tremulous tone, ' Nofo ki lalo, mataku au ' (' Sit down, I
am afraid '). While thus in fear of us, they showed a
great desire that their dreaded visitors should depart;
218
DISCOVERY OF A CORAL ISLAND
some pointed to the sun, and asked by their gestures
about our coming thence, or hinted to us to be off again.
" But with all their reverence toward their mysterious
guests, they became after a while quite familiar, and took
advantage of every opportunity to steal from us. Our
botanist gave his collecting-box to one of them to hold,
and, the moment his back was turned, off the native ran,
and a hard chase was required to recover it — -a most un-
dignified run on the part of the celestial.
' ' While the men wore the maro, the equivalent of tight-
fitting breeches, six inches or less in length, the women
were attired in a simple bloomer costume, consisting
solely of a petticoat or apron, twelve to eighteen inches
long, made of a large number of slit cocoanut leaves, and
kept well oiled. Besides this they had on, as ornaments,
necklaces of shell or bone. The girls and boys were
dressed au naturel, after the style in the garden of Eden.
These primitive fashions, however, were not peculiar to
the group, being in vogue also in other parts of the
Pacific.
" As a set-off against the geographical ignorance of
these islanders, we may state that Captain Hudson and
the best map-makers of the age knew nothing of the
existence of Bowditch Island until he discovered it ; and
from him comes the name it bears, given in honor of the
celebrated author of Bowditch' s Navigator as well as of
the translation of Laplace's Me'canique Cileste.
" Notwithstanding all the products and all the attrac-
tions of a coral island, even in its best condition it is but
a miserable place for human development — physical,
mental, or moral. There is poetry in every feature, but
the natives iind this a poor substitute for the breadfruit
and yams of more favored lands. The cocoanut and
Pandanus are, in general, the only products of the vege-
table kingdom afforded for their sustenance, and fish,
shell-fish, and crabs from the reefs their only animal food.
Scanty too is the supply ; and infanticide is resorted to
in self-defence, where but a few years would otherwise
overstock the half a dozen square miles of which their
little world consists — a world without rivers, without hills,
in the midst of salt water, with the most elevated point
but ten to twenty feet above high tide, and no part more
than three hundred yards from the ocean.
219
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
" In the more isolated coral islands the language of the
natives indicates their poverty as well as the limited pro-
ductions and unvarying features of the land. All words,
like those for mountain, hill, river, and many of the im-
plements of their ancestors, as well as the trees and other
vegetation of the land from which they are derived, are
lost to them ; and as words are but signs for ideas, they
have fallen off in general intelligence. It would be an
interesting inquiry for the philosopher, to what extent a
race of men placed in such circumstances is capable of
mental improvement. Perhaps the query might be best
answered by another. How many of the various arts of
civilized life could exist in a land where shells are the
only cutting instruments, — the plants of the land in all
but twenty-nine in number, — minerals but one, — quad-
rupeds none, with the exception of foreign rats or mice,
— fresh water barely enough for household purposes, — no
streams, nor mountains, nor hills ? How much of the
poetry or literature of Europe wguld be intelligible to
persons whose ideas had expanded only to the limits of
a coral island ; who had never conceived of a surface of
land above half a mile in breadth, — of a slope higher than
a beach, — of a change of seasons beyond a variation in
the prevalence of rains ? What elevation in morals
should be expected upon a contracted islet, so readily
overpeopled that threatened starvation drives to infanti-
cide, and tends to cultivate the extremest selfishness ?
Assuredly there is not a more unfavorable spot for moral
or intellectual progress in the wide world than the coral
island.
" Still, if well supplied with foreign stores, including a
good stock of ice, they might become, were they more
accessible, a pleasant temporary resort for tired workers
from civilized lands, who wish quiet, perpetual summer
air, salt-water bathing, and boating or yachting; and
especially for those who could draw inspiration from the
mingled beauties of grove, lake, ocean, and coral meads
and grottoes, where
life in rare and beautiful forms
Is sporting amid those bowers of stone.
" But, after all, the dry land of an atoll is so limited,
220
SUBSIDENCE OF THE PACIFIC
its features so tame, its supply of fresh water so small,
and of salt water so large, that whoever should build his
cottage on one of them would probably be glad, after a
short experience, to transfer it to an island of larger
dimensions, like Tahiti or Upolu, — one more varied in
surface and productions ; that has its mountains and pre-
cipices ; its gorges and open valleys ; leaping torrents not
less than surging billows ; and forests spreading up the
declivities, as well as groves of palms and corals by the
shores. ' '
Subsidence in the Pacific
The changes of level at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean
are discussed in the fifth chapter of Corals and Coral
Islands :
" It has been shown that atolls, and to a large extent
other coral reefs, are registers of change of level. From
the evidence thus afforded the bottom of a large part of
the Pacific Ocean is proved to have undergone great os-
cillations in recent geological time. In this direction,
then, we find the grandest teachings of coral formations.
" The facts surveyed give us a long insight into the
past, and exhibit to us the Pacific once scattered over
with lofty lands, where now there are only humble monu-
mental atolls. Had there been no growing coral, the
whole would have passed without a record. These per-
manent registers exhibit in enduring characters some of
the oscillations which the ' stable ' earth has since under-
gone.
" From the actual size of the coral reefs and islands,
we know that the whole amount of high land lost to the
Pacific by the subsidence was at the very least fifty thou-
sand square miles. But since atolls are necessarily smaller
than the land they cover, and the more so the further
subsidence has proceeded ; — since many lands, owing to
their abrupt shores, or to volcanic agency, must have had
no reefs about them, and have disappeared without a
mark ; and since others may have subsided too rapidly
for the corals to retain themselves at the surface, it is
obvious that this estimate is far below the truth. It is
apparent that, in many cases, islands now disjoined have
been once connected, and thus several atolls may have
221
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
been made about the heights of a single subsiding land
of large size. Such facts show additional error in the
above estimate, evincing that the scattered atolls and
reefs tell but a small part of the story. Why is it, also,
that the Pacific islands are confined to the tropics, if not
that beyond thirty degrees the zoophyte could not plant
its growing registers ? ' '
Although some repetition will follow, I think that
readers generally will enjoy the perusal of a popular ad-
dress on coral formations, which was given to a private
circle in New Haven, February 19, 1855, by the naturahst,
then fresh from his prolonged study of the zoophytes.
A PARLOR LECTURE ON CORALS BY PROFESSOR DANA
" By suggestion from one whom we all hold in high
esteem, I have been led to select for brief remark this
evening the subject of Coral Formations.
" The coral atoll is well described as a monument
erected over a buried island. I propose to show how this
seeming extravagance of poetry is actually sober scientific
fact. A description of the appearance of the coral atoll
above and beneath the water, and its growth amid the
waves, will prepare the way for the real poetry of science,
which, in opposition to one who has sung of coral islands,
I believe to be found in the truth.
" The atoll — so called from the language of the Mal-
dives — consists of a narrow rim of coral reef, a few hun-
dred yards wide, surrounding a lake or lagoon. It lies
in mid-ocean, just emerging above the surface, a coral
garden beneath the waters, a circling grove of palms
above. The land is raised but ten feet above the tides,
or eighty to one hundred feet to the tops of the palms or
cocoanut trees. A vessel approaches almost within hail
before the atoll is fairly in sight. At first, there is seen
a range of dots low in the distant horizon. As the ship
speeds on, these dots expand into the plumed tops of
cocoanut palms. Then the deep green grove springs into
full view, with the dazzling white beach in front — so
white and shadowless that it seems like a vertical wall ;
while the heavy breakers are careering and foaming along
222
A POPULAR LECTURE
the whole border of the reef. Beyond the grove opens a
quiet scene, like an inland sea, in strange contrast with
the surging ocean. Corning still nearer, the grove is
traced around by the right and left, until finally it meets
in the far distance, embracing completely the placid
waters — which are, in fact, a lake, and the atoll now ap-
pears in its completed beauty. There are various trees
and shrubbery besides the cocoanut, and all have a
peculiar luxuriance and richness of coloring, notwith-
standing the thinness of the coral-made soil. Beneath
the shade of the cocoanut groves may perhaps be de-
scried the scattered huts of a native village, and a file of
swarthy savages, clad in nature's best, stand along the
beach; while on yonder lagoon slender canoes are dally-
ing about some fishing-ground, or gliding rapidly to a
distant shore.
" On one of the most beautiful of these islands we
found no inhabitants but the birds of the groves. It
was, in fact, a little bird-world; and such a picture of
Eden loveliness as I had never expected to see. Its
graceful occupants, various in plumage and song, quietly
perched amid the foliage, or flitted from branch to branch,
and showed no fear at the approaching hand; — for we
took them from the trees, as we would gather fruit.
They sometimes flew in circles round and round, narrow-
ing down till they lit on our heads. Our ornithologist
went ashore with powder and shot; but the sportsman
could find no pleasure in shooting; indeed, he could help
himself without.
" During my rambles over the island I came across a
noble bird, as white as snow, and nearly as large as an
albatross. In my zeal for science I began to contemplate
it as a very fine specimen — indeed, a magnificent speci-
men ; and although it was not in my line of research, it
seemed a failure of duty to neglect the opportunity to
secure it. By a scientific process the work of death is
easily accomplished. I went up to him — he stood still,
not offering to fly. I commenced to carry out my plan ;
— a slight point of blood soiled the white plumage, and
my zeal gave out. It was another's duty to play execu-
tioner and not mine ; — and after stroking down his feath-
ers and wishing him well, I walked away. But as I
glance'd back from time to time, there was that bird still,
223
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
looking toward me, and I see him yet as on that day. I
take it the bird recovered, as I did not encounter the fate
of the ' Ancient Mariner. '
" Only in the most finished state, and in islands of
comparatively small size, is the belt of verdure around
the lagoon unbroken. Generally, it is rather a string of
green patches upon the reef, with bare intervals of coral
reef rock between, over many of which intervals the
waves at high tide roll into the lagoon; and there are
frequently one or more openings where ships may enter
for safe anchorage within. The atoll is never circular in
shape, and may be of any form, like other islands. The
lagoon varies in depth from a few feet to three hundred,
and often tiny islets are seen over its surface.
" The larger islands are forty or fifty miles in length,
and the lagoon then looks like a fragment of the ocean,
which, in fact, it is.
" Were the ocean away, the atoll would appear some-
what like a broad shallow urn ; — ^having for its basin what
is now the lagoon, and the dry land as its rim or border.
The urn would show within a bottom of white coral sand,
with here and there an islet of growing corals; upon its
rim, the vocal groves already described; and around its
body above, a belt of coral plantations.
" Jumping into a boat on a serene day when the waves
are still, and pulling over the shallow waters, — as the
ripple of the oar dies away, you see the various corals
deep in the clear liquid element, as diversified ia appear-
ance as the vegetation of the land, and singularly like
plants in their forms and the blossoms that cover them.
Or you may defy the tides and traverse the half-exposed
reef, and find in many a crystal pool a perfect garden of
zoophytes. Even in the very breakers you would en-
counter scenes over which you would exult, and all the
more for the waves that come dashing around you.
There are small, leafless trees of many kinds ; — clumps of
dense shrubbery and colored twigs; mossy tufts; imita-
tions of the cactus, lichen, or fungus ; pendant alcyonia of
orange, scarlet, and crimson hues waving in the coral caves
with the motion of the waters ; there are broad spreading
leaves, single or elegantly grouped, the whole surface set
over with flowers; and, a,s decorations ol the groves, there
are large coral vases of perfect model, made of a network
224
LECTURE ON CORAL ISLANDS
of branches, and neatly filled with blooming sprigs ; there
are domes or hemispheres, sometimes nearly large enough
to fill one of these rooms, and yet of unblemished sym-
metry, and bright throughout with living colors, — seem-
ing like the gemmed temples of the coral world ; and as
the forests and flowers of the land have their birds and
butterflies, so (as our own poet has said *) :
life in rare and beautiful forms
Is sporting amid those bowers of stone.
For fishes of azure, yellow, scarlet, and other tints, flash
through the waters in silent play among the branches.
A beautiful little species, about two inches long, of the
richest sky-blue, is one of the most common ; they come
out from the coral shrubbery in numbers together, and
dart back again at the least disturbance. Another kind
is a perfect harlequin in the arrangement of its various
colors. There are also active shrimps, and stealthy crabs,
and numerous forms of life too strange for description.
" These different kinds of zoophytes are not all found
together; nor is the whole sea-bottom in the shallow
waters covered ; for there are large areas of coral sand,
and the corals are scattered, as vegetation is often scat-
tered over the land, — here and there a clump amid regions
of comparative barrenness.
" I have spoken of the flowers of the living corals.
You of course know that I refer to coral animals, and not
to true flowers. Yet the resemblance is so striking in
form and color that flower-animal is peculiarly an appro-
priate name for the polyp. It has one or more circles of
petal-like tentacles corresponding to the petals of an
aster; but at the centre of the flower there is a mouth;
watch him manage a piece of shell-fish, and you will soon
be satisfied that there is little of the flower except in the
shape. These polyps are very often half an inch in
diameter, and vary from a line or less to a foot. Thou-
sands of such animals are aggregated in a single coral.
These thousands of associated polyps have a most inti-
mate connection ; for they are all grown together by their
sides. The several animals have separate mouths and
* The Coral Grove, by James G. Percival.
IS 225
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
tentacles, and separate stomachs ; but beyond this, there
is no individual property. It is a harmonious phalanstery.
Each eats for its own pleasure, it is true, but at the same
time for the general good. In fact, the zoophyte is like
a living sheet of animal matter, fed and nourished by
numerous mouths and as many stomachs.
" The coral is a secretion of lime (carbonate of lime)
made within the animals, among the tissues ; and in the
living zoophyte these secretions are concealed, — as much
so as our bones, to which they. are in fact analogous.
Each star on the surface of a coral corresponds to a single
polyp, and the star itself is a consequence of a radiated
arrangement of fleshy partitions within the polyp.
" Unlike the hive of the bee or the hillock of the ant,
there is no work done in the coral phalanstery. The
polyps live without locomotion; they eat such chance
game as is thrown in their way; and the coral grows
within them by natural secretion. They are no more
laborers than any animal is so in making its bones.
" Zoophytes care so little for a fracture or a wound
that a broken branch dropping in a favorable place
will grow into a new coral plant, its base becoming
cemented to the rock on which it may rest. Coral plan-
tations may be levelled by the waves ; yet, like the trod-
den sod, if left quiet for a while, they sprout again and
continue to flourish as before. The sod has roots, which
remain unhurt ; but the living coral has a source or centre
of life in every polyp that blossoms over its surface.
Each, if separated, might be the germ of a new zoo-
phyte.
" I have thus far alluded to the features of a coral
island and the growth of the coral plantations beneath
the sea. By what process, now, is the coral island
formed ?
" The history is simply this : Suppose a reef at low-tide
level. The corals are growing in scattered clumps or in
occasional thickets over the shallow bottom. The heavy
waves, especially when storms are raging, tear up the
corals and dash them over one another ; sometimes they
lift large masses from their bed, which moving along
break down whatever may be in their way. The frag-
ments, or many of them, by constant trituration under
the untiring sea, are reduced to sand or pebbles; the
226
LECTURE ON CORAL ISLANDS
pebbles and sand are thrown upon the reef by the same
action ; at times, immense blocks, a thousand cubic feet
in size, also share this fate. Thus accumulations of frag-
ments, coarse and fine, are constantly going on, just as
in one of our forests decaying leaves and stems and
animal remains add yearly to the soil; and by this
means the island begins to appear above the water. As
soon as the sea has raised the land beyond the encroach-
ing tides many small plants and shrubs take immediate
root ; and these are followed by others, until the grove
finally establishes itself over the new-made soil.
" Thus, it is not a process of polyp labor; it is not
living growth alone, but growth connected with the wear
and tear of the waves; growth affording the material — the
waves acting as the nimble yet powerful architects, grind-
ing up the material and distributing it through all the
crevices, wherever the structure needs strength, and over
the level top of the reef where it may earliest recover a
spot for the green plants and flowers. Thus made amid
the waves, the coral island has the form best fitted to
withstand the rude assaults of the sea. There are areas
where the clustered corals grow bodily to the surface,
and the waves only fill the spaces among the plants or
their branches. But these are within the quiet lagoons,
or where the plantation is sheltered from the force of the
ocean.
" Such is the appointment of the Divine architect.
Read Montgomery, and you will find ' capillary swarms
of reptiles, horrent as Medusa's snakes,' substituted for
flower-animals, and these ' capillary swarms of reptiles '
are made the toiling though unconscious workers in the
growing structure. How much more poetical, more
glorious, the truth, that the islands grow like flowers to
the surface, instead of being the result of toil in laboring
millions! It is now an established fact that the coral
zoophytes which form the body of reefs do not grow at
greater depths than lOO or 120 feet. And yet we find
coral islands standing in unfathomed seas. How is this
mystery to be explained ? In some soundings taken a
short distance from a coral island, the reef rock has been
struck by the lead at a depth of 1000 to 2000 feet, and
fragments brought up and examined. How can reefs
2000 feet deep be made from corals which cannot grow
227
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
below I20 feet ? We should say it were utterly impos-
sible, if we might without being justly charged with con-
tempt of evidence. I visited one island which is now
elevated 225 feet above the waves, or about twice the
depth to which corals may extend ; and yet it was made
of the reef rock to low-tide level ; and how many hun-
dreds of feet below this I cannot say.
We must admit, then, that the corals of each coral
island were planted upon land within 120 feet of the sur-
face ; and as the foundation or basement is now, in the
case of many atolls, at a depth of 1000 or 2000 feet or
more, it could have reached such a depth only by sink-
ing. There is hence indubitable evidence of a subsidence
greater or less than this for every coral atoll.
" Land beneath the sea, within a hundred feet of the
surface, is of very rare occurrence, except along the shores
of islands or continents. In the formation of the atoll,
therefore, the coral reef may have once been a reef en-
circling an ordinary hilly island. Indeed, there are many
such reefs in the Pacific ; and they are in all stages, from
the first step to the last, in the transition to atolls.
There are islands with reefs bordering the shore or fring-
ing it all around, the reef in such cases usually lying at
low-tide level, and sometimes more or less wooded.
There are other cases where the island has partly sub-
sided, and the reef stands far off from its shores. There
are others in which only one or two mountain peaks are
left above the sea. There are others, again, in which the
last rock of the old island has sunk out of sight, and the
reef, which was ever increasing upward by the growth of
the corals and the help of the waves, remains alone at the
surface. Thus by a gradual sinking of the land the old
island has disappeared. The subsidence may have been
only a yard or two in a century ; it was certainly so slow
that the coral animals by their growth could keep pace
with it. Whatever the rate, the coral atoll is finally
alone. Whenever this slow subsidence ceased, the waves
would then begin to prepare it for verdure, the verdure
for birds, and all for man's use and enjoyment. I might
touch upon the depth of the submergence in the case of
various atolls and reefs, and prove that, in some cases, it
amounted to thousands of feet ; but I promised you brief
remarks, and I forbear,
228
LECTURE ON CORAL ISLANDS
" Thus it is that in actual fact each atoll marks the site
of a buried island. The coral bed which was once planted
around the shores of an old island, when it was green and
flourishing, now stands over the departed land, and is
inscribed with as truthful a ' Hie jacet ' as any tombstone
in a modern graveyard. The Paumotu Archipelago con-
tains eighty coral atolls, many of very large size, in an
area of two hundred thousand square miles. It is a vast
island cemetery, where each atoll is a coral urn ' in me-
moriam. ' The whole Pacific is scattered over with these
simple memorials, and they are among the brightest spots
in that desert of waters."
229
CHAPTER XIV
VOLCANOES: VISIT TO HAWAII, 1 887
Origin of the Volume on Volcanoes — Revisiting Hawaii — Changes since
his First Visit — Notes on the Way — Letters from the Various Mem-
bers of the Party — Dana's General Survey.
IT was quite late in his life when Dana published his
volume on Volcanoes,* the immediate outcome of a
visit to the Hawaiian Islands, but based on lifelong
studies so continuous that one might say that the author
was a devotee of Vulcan, or that at least he had a pre-
dilection for the fiery forces of nature. His own state-
ments give a summary of the opportunities he had
enjoyed.
" The personal observations of the author " — these are
his words — " commenced with the ascent of Vesuvius in
1834, and, the next month, a sight of Stromboli, and a
tramp after minerals on the solfataric island of Milo.
They were continued in 1838 by short excursions on
Madeira and one of the Cape Verdes; in 1839, by studies
of the extinct volcanic regions of Tahiti, Tutuila, and
Upolu, and the basaltic outflows and overflows of Illawarra
and other parts of New South Wales. They were further
extended, in 1840, by observations in the Feejees, and
by explorations of the active and extinct volcanoes of the
Hawaiian Islands; in 1841, by observations on a crater in
the coast region of Oregon, instructive though distant
views of some of the lofty cones of the Cascade Range,
and a brief survey of an extinct volcano on the Sacra-
* New York : Dodd, Mead & Co., 1891. 398 pp., 8°.
230
LIFELONG INTEREST IN VOLCANOES
mento (now called Marysville Butte) during an overland
trip from Vancouver to San Francisco; and, finally, in
i860, by a second visit to Vesuvius, and in 1887 a second
to the Hawaiian Islands."
The book on Volcanoes is really, as its fuller title in-
dicates, a study of their characteristics in the light of
facts and principles ascertained in the Hawaiian Islands.
The writer particularly advocated the comparison of
Hawaii with Vesuvius and Etna.
Hardly three weeks distant from Europe and not two
from New York, with much to be seen on the way and
tropical islands growing corals and tree-ferns at the end,
the route should be a common one with tourists. The
magnitude and easy access of the great craters; their
proximity, while nearly ten thousand feet apart in alti-
tude ; their strange unlikeness in ordinary action, although
alike in features and lavas; their unsympathizing inde-
pendence ; their usually quiet way of sending forth lava-
streams twenty and thirty miles long, — make them a
peculiarly instructive field for the student of volcanic
science, as well as an attractive one for the lover of the
marvellous. Even the lavas, although nothing but basalt,
have afforded much that is new to science."
Within a decade of the time when these words were
written, Hawaii became a part of the United States, and
this change of relations will doubtless increase the atten-
tion bestowed upon the island group by American volcan-
ists, and Dana's book will become a landmark in Hawaiian
geology.
His earlier visit to Hawaii has already been men-
tioned. Almost half a century later he was led to think
of another visit because during the few months previous
he had been receiving numerous documents from some of
the gentlemen on the islands (including Mr. Alexander),
describing the progress of the survey, the condition of
the volcanoes, etc. He published a paper on " Volcanic
231
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Action " in the Journal for February, 1887, and his series
of papers on the " History of the Changes in the Mauna
Loa Crater " began in the June number, and was con-
tinued in that for July, and then taken up again after his
return. It was this that put into his head the sudden
thought that perhaps he could go back to the islands and
see those things again for himself. His son remembers
distinctly the Sunday when the suggestion was first
thrown out. It seemed at first a visionary plan, in view
of past limitations; but with a little encouragement it
immediately took practical form. His quick decision
was interesting and characteristic.
With his wife and daughter. Professor Dana left New
Haven, crossed the continent by the Union and Central
Pacific Railroads, and sailed from San Francisco, July
19, 1887, in the steamship Australia, Captain Houdlette.
A week's voyage brought the party to Honolulu. On
the 1st of August an excursion was made to the crater
of Haleakala, under the escort of Professor Alexander of
the Hawaiian Survey. The party — which included Mrs.
and Miss Dana, and President * and Mrs. Merritt of the
Oahu College — landed at Kahului, and most of the party
proceeded to ascend the volcano. " Fine views of the
crater were obtained," says one of the reports, " the
party going partly around it outside, and down into it,
where they camped, on the night of August 4th-5th, near
a little spring. It was a glorious night, full moon, and
fine weather. Being well supplied with blankets and
provisions, all were quite comfortable. Next day they
made their way back to Paia. Professor Dana, though
seventy-four years of age, stood the trip well and enjoyed
it very much." The next day he went to Hilo, to spend
a week at the volcano of Kilauea. The party returned
to Honolulu August 23d. A few days later, Professor
Dana and President Merritt drove around Oahu, via the
* Rev. William Carter Merritt.
233
HAWAIIAN VOLCANOES
Pali and Waialua, visiting the chasm of Kaliuwaa and the
calcareous bluffs of Kahuku. They sailed homewards on
the Australia August 30th.
The entire journey showed the qualities of a masterful
mindi Undertaken purely for the acquisition of accurate
knowledge, it was a brilliant example of scientific enthu-
siasm and of undaunted resolution. It was not " en-
dowed research " that inspired him, nor a government
appointment, nor curiosity to revisit the scenes of his
early studies, nor a desire for fame, nor the duty of a
station, nor the love of mountain-climbing, nor health,
nor recreation. Science allured him. For her sake he
crossed a continent and an ocean, ascended lofty peaks,
and exposed himself to wind and weather, at a time of
life when another man would have said, " I have done
enough ; let me stay in an easy-chair ! " But Dana never
grew old. He tired ; he needed periods of long repose ;
but his spirit was inexhaustible. Whenever his brain
was rested and his body refreshed, he was up again and
at it, — to the end of his days as resolute and enterprising
as he was in youth.
Accounts of the journey were promptly published in
the Journal of Science. Side-lights on the expedition will
here be given from the letters of some of those who
accompanied the traveller.
A brief extract from a notice of the arrival of the party,
published in The Friend, at Honolulu, draws a sharp con-
trast between the earlier date and the later in the means
of travel and the condition of the islands :
' ' How great the changes in the forty-seven years both
in America and Hawaii ! The Golden Gate was then an
almost unexplored passage, and Honolulu a town of
grass and adobe huts, with scarcely a tree. No steam-
ship had then ever visited the Pacific Ocean. Our mails
were then five months in coming, and now are only twelve
days. There are very few of the old-time people left to
233
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
greet him. Professor Dana has, however, many personal
friends, pupils and correspondents, and students of his
books in these islands, who will make him feel at home.
" We would add that Premier W. L. Green kindly
loaned us his copy of Dana's Geology the other day, with
the remark that he ' knew it all by heart.' The well-
worn book bears marks of the truth of that statement."
Here are two notes by the way in the course of the
transcontinental journey.
JAMES D. DANA TO HIS SON EDWARD
" Chicago, July lo, 1887.
" You have already heard of our safe arrival here, our
first stopping-place. The heat, the noise and jar of the
cars, and the roar of passing trains made the first day out
trying to unaccustomed nerves. . . . But in spite of
all I slept well the following night. Yesterday and to-
day there has been nothing in the heat to complain of,
so that we look forward to a comfortable time on the way
to Salt Lake City,"
" Salt Lake City, July 14, 1887.
' ' We have been interrupted by a call from Major Wilkes
and his daughter. The father is a son of the old Com-
modore, and was very cordial in his greeting. He re-
membered meeting your father after the return of the
Exploring Expedition, when himself a lad. He is a civil
engineer, and has been sixteen years engaged in this
region, having located all the railroads in the mountains
thus far constructed.
" I add a note to announce that I have sent a specimen
of granite from the Cottonwood Caflon (the rock of which
the Mormon Temple is made) by mail, as this is cheaper
than carrying it in an overfull bag. I was interested in
its containing minute yellow crystals which I suppose to
be zircons, though staggered a little by the color.
" Yesterday was delightfully cool, and the day before
234
LETTERS FROM HAWAII
hardly less so; but Monday was hot, intensely hot;
mercury 103° in the car, in crossing Iowa."
Next come some of the family letters from Hawaii.
MRS. JAMES D. DANA TO E. S. DANA
" Hauku Island, off Mauai, August 4, 1887.
" I am left here at the charming home of Mr. Henry
Baldwin, with our late hostess, Mrs. Merritt, while father
and the others have gone up the mountain Haleakala.
It is an ascent of ten thousand feet, and from the top
there is a descent of two thousand feet into an extinct
volcano of great size and interest. The party, five gentle-
men and three ladies (a stranger from Oakland having
availed herself of the chance) ; Professor Alexander, Mr.
Merritt, Oliver Carter, Mr. Walsh, and father make up
the number. They had two pack-mules and a native on
a third, and were well provided with blankets, tents, etc.
" They moved off about 2.30 yesterday, expecting, after
three or four hours' ride, to spend the night at Olinda in
houses. To-day they finish the climb, descend two
thousand feet, on the animals, into the crater, and there
pass the night. To-morrow P.M. I hope to report them
all safe back. I can see the mountain from the veranda
where I write, and I much fear that there may be rain
there, but it is impossible to judge correctly.
" We left Honolulu Monday, on the Like-Like * {not
leaky in fact, if in sound). It is a very rough trip, and
there were few besides our three who were not flat on the
mattresses on deck before we had been an hour out ! It
was there we all passed the night. My next neighbor on
one side was a large dog! He was quiet, and I much
preferred him to the noisy natives with their necklaces —
' leis ' — of jasmine and tuberose. We escaped wonder-
fully, but it was an experience we do not care to repeat,
nor to dwell upon ! We landed early, and were glad of
an invitation to eat the lunch brought with us in a pleas-
ant house near the wharf, where hot coffee was provided
for us, and we were much revived thereby. There are
* The native pronunciation is " Leeky-Leeky.''
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
no public accommodations here, and you are taken in as
may be possible. We were the first night at the house
of Mr. Walsh ; after the party went off I was sent for to
come here to Mr. Baldwin's. Mrs. Baldwin is a sister of
Professor Alexander, and both are children of early mis-
sionaries. . . ."
JAMES D. DANA TO E. S. DANA
" I am back again, as you see, from the volcano trip —
none the worse for the ride excepting a scorching of lips
and chin by the hot sun. We refused to put on masks,
against advice and example, and hence the blistering.
Our party of eight were accompanied by a guide and
other natives to have charge of the pack-horses. Olinda,
our stopping-place for the first night, after an afternoon
ride of nearly four hours, is about six thousand feet above
the sea-level. It has three cottages built for summer re-
treats ; one of them, the property of a brother of Profes-
sor Alexander, was ours for the night. These are all its
houses. Imported blackberry vines afforded us the best
of blackberries for the first part of our supper. Rev. Mr.
Forbes was occupying temporarily one of the houses, with
his family, and he gave me a hearty welcome, as he (then
seven years old) saw me at his father's in 1840, when I
had landed on the west side of Hawaii at Kealakakua
Bay (where Captain Cook was killed last century), on my
excursion over the island.
" The morning found us well recruited by a night of
rest, and by eight we were off for the crater. It was up
over smooth ground, then rough with lavas, for the first
four hours or so ; and at last we were at the summit with
the crater two thousand feet deep and over twenty miles
in circuit directly below us. Its lofty walls and numerous
cinder cones of various shades of red at bottom make it
wonderfully impressive, and it became far more so after-
ward, when, farther to the southward, we had before us
the great northern gateway or place of last discharge,
nearly two miles in breadth, opening through the walls.
We finally commenced the descent at the southeast
corner, whence a cinder slope extends to the top, with
other cinder cones at the summit as well as at the bottom,
236
LETTERS FROM HAWAII
The ride down and to our place of encampment — the only
spot where water can be had — took us about two hours
and made the day's journey one of about eight hours.
. . . As my last horseback ride was in i860, I felt the
constrained position, and was ready for rest. The tent
gave us good shelter, and Professor Alexander's kindness
supplied me with the luxury of a cot. Sleep came to the
crowd inside, which included three ladies besides the five
men, and by morning all were in trim for breakfast by
7.30, and for a start back by eight.
" Besides the great northward discharge down the
slopes to th6 sea, there was also a southward, equally
large ; and the fields of scoriaceous lavas over the floor,
coming out apparently from beneath the crater cones, as
well as covering large areas among them, appeared to
show that both places of discharge were used by the one
vast eruption. We were back at Olinda by two, had
there a lunch of blackberries and cream provided for us
by Mr. Forbes, and soon after five were at Mr. Gulick's.
" We are now, Sunday P.M., at Wailuku, at Rev. Mr.
Bissell's.* We shall have a ride to-morrow morning into
Wailuku Valley, which is supposed to be the crater of
the western group of mountains on Maui. It is a ride of
only three or four hours, having no great difficulties.
At twelve to two the following midnight we shall be
waiting for the steamer Kinau, that is to take us to
Hilo. It is larger than the Like -Like, has staterooms on
deck as well as below, and is in every way more comfort-
able. After about eighteen hours, it will land us, accord-
ing to its time-table, at Hilo. Deck staterooms have
been engaged for us. ... A large oleander bush,
full of flowers, is waving in the wind just outside of the
window.
MRS. JAMES D. DANA TO E. S. DANA
" KiLAUEA, Sandwich Islands, August 13, 1887.
" Our last letter was written last Sunday at Wailuku.
I will leave it to those who made the trip to tell you of
the lovely sight they had of the Wailuku Valley. That
* Rev. Arthur D. Bissell, a graduate of Amherst in 1879 *°<i °f Yale
Theological Seminary in 1882.
237
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
was on Monday, and while the gentlemen, with your
sister, were absent, Mrs. Merritt and I were carried two
miles out from Wailuku to the loveliest home we
have seen yet. There we were till the party joined
us, dined together, and at 10.30 the carriages came
that took us seven miles to the landing-place for the
steamer. But I must say a word more about the
pleasant ladies and charming children with whom our
day was passed. Nowhere have we seen such a wealth
of flowers. One rose tree in full bloom had a trunk
as large as my arm ! We enjoyed our day very much,
more than we did waiting in the carriages on the
wharf (the horses were taken out) until about three o'clock
A.M. The steamer was late, and it is never possible to
count upon its promptness. Moreover, the King was on
board of her till she made her last stop at Lahaina. But
he was sent for and taken back in another vessel, so that
we were not honored {t) by his company. All these ves-
sels lie out far from the wharf, and the clamber up the
ship's sides, especially in a heavy sea, is not pleasant.
We have done it, however, many times. It was a tedious
trip in a heavily rolling vessel, even to those not suffering,
and very hard on some of our friends. We had a great
pleasure in receiving from Mr. Emerson the home letters.
I had supposed they must wait for daylight for a reading,
but lo ! an electric light in our stateroom made that easy.
" We went on board our steamer early Tuesday A.M.,
and were landed, very weary, at Hilo at 6 a.m. on
Wednesday. There again friends were watching for us,
and we were taken to the home of Mrs. Severance, of
whom Miss Bird says so much. . . . Hilo was the
former home of dear Mr. Coan, ' the emerald bower ' of
which he wrote so glowingly. It is very pretty, embow-
ered in green, and along the shore are seen the cocoanut
trees so distinctive in every tropical picture. . . .
" From Hilo was another horseback trip, while I drove
with Mrs. Severance and Mrs. Merritt about Hilo. It
was warm there again, and mosquitoes drove me, too,
under shelter once more. At Maui we had fine air and
no torments.
" Mr. Emerson and Mr. Bishop came from Honolulu
to join us, also Dr. Whitney and wife and two children.
Finally we moved on from Hilo with a party of twelve.
238
LETTERS FROM HAWAII
We went over to the steamer again early Friday A.M.,
had a lovely view of the shores in our trip of six hours,
landed about 12.30 (what a scramble!), and found our
horses waiting to bring us up here. . . . The road
was much better than we had been told, and two and
a half hours carried us over the six miles to the half-way
house. There we all dismounted to take the ' brakes '
in which we were to finish our trip. . . . We had a
lovely drive through a tropical forest, a wonderful growth
of ferns shading a good road, and reached this house
about 7 P.M. As soon as the light faded, the fires
below illuminated the waves of steam rising from the
crater, till we could hardly be willing to close our eyes
for slumber — tired though we were. This is a primitive
place, but we are comfortable under the charge of an
obliging landlord, and have a pleasant circle about us.
We expect to be here a week, then descend by an easy
grade to Punaluu for Sunday, and return on the Hall, to
reach Honolulu on Tuesday — the 23d.
" The trip to the crater was made in the rain, and all
returned soaked. Father and Mr. Emerson were the last
to arrive, at four o'clock. The rubber coats had kept
them safe, and now, after sending the wet clothes to a
drying-room where a big fire is burning, father is dozing
till dinner-time. He felt fully repaid for his efforts, but
finds the show far less brilliant than in 1840. . . . All
around this house the steam rises from the ground in a
very suggestive way, and there is a bank near by from
which are brought lovely sulphur crystals. The air is
pure and fine, there are no mosquitoes, and if the beds
are hard, it is easier to sleep than in better ones at a
lower level. Mr. M is from Brooklyn (N. Y.), and is
a pleasant host. Our room is on the piazza, has no
window, so that last night we left the door (which is half
glass) open, guarded by a heavy valise lest any of the
dogs should push in. . . . Mr. Emerson told me
that at the half-way house, on our way up, they said they
had orders to give him the best horse in a brake for Mrs.
Dana, while Professor Dana and his daughter were to
follow. This is but a sample of the way we are
treated ! . . •
" This is now Sunday, and once again mist and rain
shut down upon us. I woke very early and listened to a
239
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
strange sound which suggested the dash of waves. Mr.
Emerson thinks I was right in my suspicion that it was
the roar of the sea — of fire ! He said he had heard it here
himself."
MISS DANA TO E. S. DANA
"Volcano House, Kilauea, August 15, 1887.
" This morning father and Mr. Emerson planned for
an early start down into the crater, if the skies were
favorable. But they were not, and there was small hope
of a change for the better. Suddenly it came, however,
and just at nine they started off. ... A favorite
course is to go down about 3.30, and return late in the
evening, so seeing the fiery billows to the best advantage.
Of course lanterns are carried, but it is not very com-
fortable. . . .
" This house is very unlike any mountain hotel you
were ever at. Most of the rooms open on the piazza.
They are small, very plain, and the beds are very hard.
The table is pretty good, but the regular cook is off
on a vacation, and our host is evidently troubled about
our service."
" PuNALUu, Hawaii, August 21, 1887.
" The ride (from the Volcano House to this place) was
called ten miles, but they were long ones, and five were
over the lava, requiring careful movement. We were all
quite willing to rest at the half-way house, after having
been in the saddle over four hours. We found a lunch
awaiting us, but were reminded that we were all to dine
with Mr. Foster, at the Pahala Plantation, some nine
miles farther on. Over those miles we were carried in a
' bus ' drawn by four mules, six of the party inside, one
beside the driver, and the rest in two brakes. It was a
hard, rough trip, and gave us all the shaking up that
could well be put into that space of time. This is a
desolate region ; lava covers most of the ground. I was
deeply impressed by the amount and extent of volcanic
action, and am truly glad my home does not lie on
Hawaii ! Our new host, Mr. Foster, was waiting to wel-
come our arrival at his charming house. We were a
240
LETTERS FROM HAWAII
forlorn, weary set, but were provided with an excellent
dinner, beautifully served, and I assure you we appre-
ciated it. We sat down sixteen at table. It was to that
house that we three were invited for the two days which
we must pass in waiting for our steamer, but we thought
it better to continue on here, where we should all be at
hand to take the vessel, instead of coming five miles at a
still earlier hour. We had a restful, pleasant two hours
or more there, and then finished our journey in a new
way. There is a narrow-gauge railroad from the planta-
tion to Punaluu, built to carry freight. Over that we
passed in an ' observation car,' no cover, sitting in two
lines, back to back, and propelled most of the way by
gravity alone. A man held the brakes and watched very
carefully, for it was entirely dark by this time. Some of
our party were very nervous, but it was a rest after all
the rough jolting, and the stars were glorious. We were
much favored in the weather all that day. It was the
first time in a week that rain had not pursued us, and
called for waterproofs, etc. For the last two miles we
were drawn by mules, and at last found ourselves at our
journey's end. This is a comfortable house, kept by a
Norwegian who has married a half-white. Both speak
English well, and are very civil and attentive ; there is no
one here but our party.
" Nineteen years since this place was badly shaken by
earthquakes, and a tidal wave swept over where the hotel
now stands, carrying away the houses and the little
church, which was then nearer the sea. Mr. Foster told
us of one day he had passed when there were 360 shocks
in twenty-four hours. His hanging-lamp did not cease
to vibrate for half an hour! It is a fearful region to
dwell in.
" Last night Mr. Emerson brought in the oldest man
in the vicinity to tell what he remembered of such scenes.
He was a white-headed, venerable man, seemingly bright
in his faculties, though he says he was a man grown and
married when the missionaries came — so he must be
eighty-five or more. Mr. Emerson and Mr. Bishop
talked with him freely in his native tongue, and it was an
interesting scene. Mr. Emerson told him that father
was a rock-rending sorcerer (he used the native name for
sorcerer) from a great school in America, ' a sorcerer who
241
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
could rend rocks ! ' * This refers to their belief that the
sorcerers can pray people to death, or pray rocks asun-
der. Nothing was said of a hammer! The native is
himself a Christian, has been an elder in their church,
though now too old and feeble to perform the duties of
the office.
" Father feels well repaid for the journey here, and
made several trips around and across the crater. It is
surprising how well he has borne all his fatigue, and
especially the semi-public life we lead. ' '
J. D. DANA TO HIS SON ARNOLD
" Honolulu, August 23, 1887.
" We are just back to-day from our trip to Maui and
Hawaii — which has occupied the last three weeks. It
has been a great success throughout, as regards. pleasure,
science, health, etc. The details are in part in your
mother's and sister's letters, and for Maui, I believe, in
one of mine to Ned. Your sister has gone through all
the volcanic excursions as well as any of the party, and
perhaps a little better, nothing seeming to fatigue her
and everything to interest. ... In our week at Ki-
lauea, mother saw the fires from the Volcano House and
once from a nearer point ; but did not go down into the
crater. I was at the bottom three days, besides going
over the country around it. But the fires, while instruct-
ive, were far from brilliant and greatly inferior to those
of 1840."
J. D. DANA TO E. S. DANA.
" Honolulu, August 24, 1887.
" As to myself, I have kept at work pretty constantly,
learned much, tramped much, and am none the worse for
it — even after the half-starving fare during the week at
the Volcano House.
* Professor Dana's Hawaiian title :
Kahuna wawahi pohaku.
(doctor or priest) (rend) (rocks)
Rock-rending medicine man,
242
LETTERS FROM HAWAII
" I came to the conclusion — positive — that Wilkes's
western wall of the crater is wrong; so the ' conclusions '
as to changes since 1840, on that side of the crater, in my
manuscript prepared for the latter part of my memoir,
are wrong. The last night of our week at Kilauea — when
I did not go down into the crater, because of the rain and
also some cold which I had taken in consequence of a wet
trip the day before — the party, ten in number, . . .
saw distinctly very pale greenish-white, scarcely bluish,
flames, one to three feet high, at four or five different
points in the feebly active lake. Kilauea disappointed
me much at first, as the great pit has an average depth
of only 420 feet, against the 650 feet to the black ledge
and 1000 to the bottom which I found in 1840. But it
was still full of interest, and several important points I
was able to settle."
J. D. DANA TO HIS DAUGHTER MRS. COIT
" Honolulu, Aug. 28, 1887.
" While the others are at church, I use the time this
evening to send you a message from the islands. In a
note to Ned of last Wednesday, I spoke of my return
from Hawaii the day before, and of my preparing to start
the next day on a three days' trip over this island, Oahu.
" From this trip I returned yesterday. Mr. Merritt,
President of Oahu College (Yale graduate of 1879), went
with me, taking his horse and carriage, and we had a de-
lightful time. The scenery along the way was grand —
much of it of Colorado canyon style ; and one or two of
the buttressed cathedrals which running water had carved
out of the old mountain are hardly exceeded in impres-
siveness anywhere. The low lands along the coast are in
many parts great rice-fields, through Chinese enterprise,
the Chinamen fast supplanting the Kanakas, owing to
their working qualities and knowledge. In their present
half-grown state these fields are a very pleasing sight,
owing to their rich green color. The fields are fields of
shallow water (fresh water from the mountains) in which
the Chinamen have set out in long rows the grass-like rice
plants. The plantations are at first but three or four
inches out of water, but most of them now from fifteen
243
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
to eighteen inches, which is about two-fifths the final
height. There are also similar water-fields of taro, but
these are small on that part of the island (the northern)
compared with those of rice. The plantations of sugar-
cane are also large, even exceeding those of rice; but
these are under the control of American or English
planters.
" We spent the first night at the summer residence of
the Chief Justice of the islands, Mr. Judd, son of Dr.
Judd, whom I knew here well in 1840. . . . The
other night was spent at the fine residence of Mr. Hal-
stead, at Waialua, whose sugar plantations are of great
extent. His house is very handsomely furnished, both
with furniture and children. But the distance of the
place from Honolulu — some twenty-seven or twenty-
eight miles — has large inconveniences. For example, a
piano-tuner's visit costs $50, and a doctor's call, $75.
We went into the sugar-mill, where sugar is made from
the sugar-cane. We saw the cane, in lengths of five or
six feet, first put into a long trough, the bottom of which
was moving slowly toward two large iron rollers. Reach-
ing the rollers the cane was caught and pressed between
the rollers, squeezing out the sweet juice, which fell into
a vat below, while the refuse cane passed on and thence
was carried off to dry. This refuse cane is the fuel of the
steam-engine ; while the leaves and smaller stems of the
sugar-cane are the fodder of the horses or mules used at
the mill. We saw the great vats where the juice was
boiled by means of steam to concentrate it; another
where lime was mixed with it for purification; other
vacuum chambers where the purified juice was boiled
further for concentration, at a temperature of only 130°
F. (because of the vacuum), preparing for the deposition
of. the sugar; and then the circular vessels of brass, full of
minute holes in the sides, which were filled with the sugar
so made, and then made to whirl around with great
rapidity to get rid of the liquid part, or molasses, which
flies out through the minute holes on account of the
rotation.
" Through with our visit to the mill, we were off at
nine yesterday for Honolulu. Here I found an empty
room. But in the course of an hour mother and Amy
were back from a beautiful drive in the country. Tuesday,
244
VOLCANOES
at twelve noon, we are to be aboard the Australia,
and by the 7th we expect to reach San Francisco, the
post-office of which city will dispatch this letter east-
ward. ' '
Dana's mature reflections shall be given in his own
words from the preface to the volume on Volcanoes,
already cited :
" Science has learned from Hawaii more than it knew
of the mobility of liquid basalt ; of the consequent range
in flow-angle of basalt-lavas, from the lower limit near
horizontality to the verticality of a waterfall, and there-
fore of lava-cones of the lowest angle, and driblet-cones
of all angles ; of lava-lakes tossing up jets over their fiery
surface like the jets of ebullition, and in other cases play-
ing grandly in fountains hundreds of yards in height;
and, consequently, of the absence from the craters of
large cinder-ejections. It has further learned of a degree
of system in the changes within a crater from one epoch
of eruption to a state of readiness for another; of a sub-
sidence, after an eruptive discharge of lava, that has
carried down, hundreds of feet, a large part of a crater's
floor without a loss of level in its surface; and, following
this, of a slow rising of the subsided floor, chiefly through
the ascensive or upthrust action of the lavas of the lava-
column, and the lifting force taking advantage of the
fault-planes that were made at the subsidence ; and also
of debris-ridges and debris-cones, one to two hundred
feet in elevation, made, by the lift, out of the talus of the
pit-walls.
" It has learned that pit-shaped craters are characteris-
tic of true basalt volcanoes, and a result of the free mobil-
ity of the lavas, whether the action in the lava-lakes
within be fountain-like or boiling-like ; that floating
islands of solid lava may exist in the lakes ; that a regular
oscillation between fusion and cooling takes place at times
in the thin crust of lava-lakes ; that the solid lava of the
margin of a lake may be re-fused, and also even the mass
of a floating island, and the blocks of a d6bris-cone until
the cone has wholly disappeared.
" It has discovered that solfataric action, or that of
24s
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
the hot vapors in lava-caverns, may include the recrystal-
lizing of basalt, therein making it into long, stony, pipe-
stem stalactites and stalagmites, having cavities lined
with transparent crystals of augite and labradorite, be-
sides octahedrons of magnetite.
" It has obtained evidence, also, that the greatest of
eruptions may occur without the violence or the noise
of an earthquake, and without an increase of activity in
the crater ; that, in place of an increase, there may be a
sudden extinction of the fires, all light and heat and
vapors disappearing as soon as the discharge begins ; of
the greater frequency of eruptions during the wetter
season of the year ; of the agency of fresh water from the
rains (and snows) in the supplying of steam-power for
volcanic action ; of the full sufficiency of water from this
source without help from the ocean, — fresh water being
as good as salt for all volcanic purposes ; and, further, of
a great augmentation of the activity so produced with the
increase in altitude of the working crater.
" These are facts from Hawaii — and not all that might
be cited — that have not yet been made out from the in-
vestigation of other volcanoes, not even the best known,
Vesuvius and Etna.
" But much remains to be learned from the further
study of the Hawaiian volcanoes. Some of the points
requiring elucidation are the following : the work in the
summit-crater between its eruptions ; the rate of flow of
lava-streams and the extent of the tunnel-making in the
flow; the maximum thickness of streams; the existence
or not of fissures underneath a stream supplying lava;
the temperature of the liquid lava; the constitution of
the lava at the high temperatures existing beneath the
surface ; the depth at which vesiculation begins ; the kinds
of vapors or gases escaping from the vents or lakes; the
solfataric action about the craters ; the source of the flames
observed within the area of a lava-lake; the differences
between the lavas of the five Hawaiian volcanoes, — Ki-
lauea, Loa, Kea, Hualalai, and Kohala; the difference in
kind or texture of rock between the exterior of a moun-
tain and its deep-seated interior or centre, — for the eluci-
dation of which subject Kohala's northern gorges may
possibly afford material ; the difference between Loa, Kea,
and Haleakala in the existence below of hollow chambers
246
VOLCANOES
resulting from lava-discharges, — a problem which Mr. E.
D. Preston has begun to solve by pendulum observations,
and there is reason to hope may continue to investigate
to its complete solution ; and, besides, if admitting of
field study, the movements of the lavas in the great lava-
columns, and the source or sources of the ascensive
movement.
" The geologist who is capable of investigating these
subjects will find other inquiries rising as his work goes
forward."
247
CHAPTER XV
PROFESSOR LE CONTE'S ESTIMATE OF DANA
Professor Joseph Le Conte's Estimate of Dana as a Geologist — Cora5s,
Cephalization, and Volcanism — Development of the Earth as a Unit —
Continental Ice-Sheet.
THE author of this memoir is not qualified to speak
with authority in respect to the contributions of
Professor Dana to the science that he most loved, and
fortunately there is no reason for him to make the at-
tempt. Many highly qualified men have made the
desired reviews, and among them Professor Joseph Le
Conte, of the University of California, spoke as follows
before the American Society of Geologists soon after
Mr. Dana's death. This address is so admirable in style,
and so appreciative in spirit, that its principal paragraphs
will be given to the reader.
ADDRESS
Dana's Comprehensive Mind
There are few, very few, men (and becoming fewer
every year) whose thoughts ranged so widely and who
accomplished distinguished results in so many directions
as did Dana. He became the highest living authority in
mineralogy, in several departments of zoology, — as, for
example, Crustacea and zoophytes, — and, more than all,
in geology. Of some two hundred and odd scientific
papers contributed by him, more than one-half were on
geology. Not only in the three sciences mentioned above
248
PROFESSOR LE CONTE'S ADDRESS
was he in the foremost rank, but in other sciences also —
as, for example, physics, chemistry, and even mathe-
matics — his knowledge was wide and exact. As he grew
older, however, his chief interest and highest activity
gravitated more and more toward geology. This was the
natural result of the wide sweep of his mind, for geology
is the most complex and comprehensive of all the sciences.
All other sciences are tributary to her. It was for this
reason in part that early philosophers of science regarded
her as only an applied science — as a field for the applica-
tion of all the sciences. Dana's wide and exact know-
ledge in many departments fitted him in a peculiar way
and in an eminent degree for the highest achievements in
geology. No mere specialist in geology could have done
Dana's work.
Leaving out of view his monumental work on Min-
eralogy, for the reason that others are more capable than
I of weighing its value, there are three main lines of
thought, all suggested by his observations during his four
years' voyage, which occupied his mind throughout life.
Growth of Coral Islands
The first of these was corals, coral reefs, and coral
islands. This is a subject of deepest interest, both popu-
lar and scientific; popular on account of the gorgeous
coloring and the delicate flower-like beauty of the zoo-
phytes, and the gem-like, fairy-like beauty of the islands
formed by them — a beauty which has so affected the
imagination of artists as to have given rise to a peculiar
South Sea literature which reads Hke fairy literature ; it
is of equal or even greater scientific interest because of
the infinite variety of life-forms crowded together on the
reefs, making them a veritable zoological garden, the
greatest gathering-ground of the naturalist and the great-
est theatre of the struggle for life to be found anywhere
on earth. But more than all to the geologist are they of
249
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
deepest interest on account of the evidence they afford of
movements of the crust of the earth on a scale of grandeur
commensurate with the formation of those greatest fea-
tures of the earth-surface, continental areas and oceanic
basins. The subsidence-theory of atolls and barriers
powerfully affected the mind of Dana, and, although it
originated with Darwin, no one, not even Darwin him-
self, has done more by close observation and wide gen-
eralization to establish it on a solid foundation. It is true
that as a universal theory, at least for barriers, it can no
longer be maintained, having been disproved by the ob-
servations of Agassiz on the coast of Florida, but as a
general theory, on which may be based the conclusions
drawn from it by Darwin and Dana, that the floor of the
mid-Pacific over an enormous area is sinking and has
been sinking for ages, I believe it still holds its own as
by far the most probable theory. Correlative with this
sinking is the rising of the American continents, espe-
cially on their western side.
Idea of Cephalization
The second line of thought suggested by the observa-
tions of his famous voyage, but which he continued to
follow up during his whole life, was the idea of cephaliza-
tion or headward development; that is, the increasing
dominance of head functions over other functions, and
therefore the increasing subordination of the whole
structure of the animal body to the service of the head
as we go up the scale in any class. Dana announced this
as a law of structural elevation in any class, or, as we
would say now, as a law of evolution, and therefore as a
guide to classification. He came upon this law in study-
ing the modifications of the limbs of crustaceans. He
found that as we rise in the scale more and more of the
appendages are released from the function of locomotion
to be devoted to the service of the head. He afterwards
250
CEPHALIZATION
applied it to other classes of animals. Like all great
thoughts, its fertility is inexhaustible and its application
boundless. It might be generalized as a gradually in-
creasing dominance of the higher over the lower and of
the highest over all. In this form the law is universal.
To give one illustration of my own : In passing from the
lowest protozoan to man, among the many systems of
organs which are successively differentiated there is an
increasing dominance of the highest system, namely, the
nervous system. Then in the nervous system an increas-
ing dominance of the highest part, that is, the brain. In
the brain an increasing dominance of the highest ganglion
— the cerebrum. In the cerebrum, of the highest part,
namely, the external gray matter, as shown by the num-
ber and depth of the convolutions. Then among the
convolutions an increasing proportion in the highest lobe
of the cerebrum — the frontal lobe, as marked off by the
fissure of Roland. I need hardly say that the same law
prevails also in the evolution of the individual, both
physical and psychical. As there is an increasing domi-
nance of mind over body, so in the mind there is an
increasing dominance of reflective over the perceptive
faculties, and finally of the moral faculties over all. The
same is true of social evolution. In all and everywhere
we find the same law of cephalization. Everywhere — in
physical, psychical, and social evolution, in education,
in intellectual and moral culture, and in civilization — we
find an increasing dominance of the higher over the lower
and of the highest over all.
I do not follow up this thought only because I do not
know that Dana himself did so. In a singular degree
he united boldness of thought with extreme cautiousness
in method.
Volcanism
The third line of thought suggested to his mind by
his famous voyage was that of volcanism. Early in life,
251
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
during his Mediterranean voyage, he became interested
in this subject, as shown by his paper on Vesuvius, the
first he ever published, but his interest was greatly quick-
ened and broadened by the study of volcanic phenomena
in the South Seas, especially in the Hawaiian Islands.
In accordance with the abounding fertility of his thought,
he now no longer confined himself to simple local volcan-
ism, but connected this with all other forms of igneous
agency, and especially with those grander movements of
the earth crust which determine the greater features of
the earth's surface. These movements, though so slow
and inconspicuous as to be unperceived except by the
ever-watchful eye of science, yet, extending over wide
areas and acting through inconceivable time, their ac-
cumulated effects far surpass all other forms. Indeed
volcanic eruptions and earthquake shocks are but occa-
sional accidents in the slow march of these grander move-
ments.
Thus it is in all things, the really most potent causes
are slow in operation and inconspicuous in their effects,
and are therefore recognized only by the scientific thinker.
For example, railroad accidents and steamboat disasters,
plague and pestilence, strike the popular imagination and
fill the mind with horror, while the slower but constantly
acting effects of dyspepsia and consumption, which de-
stroy their thousands for one carried oiT by the more
catastrophic way, hardly attract attention enough to en-
force their remedy by improved sanitary conditions.
Similarly wars and revolutions strike the popular im-
agination and fill the pages of history, while the slow
approaches of political corruption and decay of truthful-
ness which poison the life-blood and sap the vitality of
nations are hardly regarded. Even so volcanoes and
earthquakes strike the imagination and fill the pages of
geological literature, while the slowly accumulating and
far grander effects of crust oscillations hardly arrest at-
252
ESTIMATE BY PROF. H. S. WILLIAMS
tention ; and yet it is by these alone that continents and
ocean basins have been gradually formed.
Now it was just these slowly acting causes and these
grander effects that took strongest hold on Dana's mind.
Igneous agencies became for him the interior vital forces
of the earth, which, reacting on the exterior crust, pro-
duced the greater features, and by their eternal conflict
with external, sun-derived, sculpturing forces determine
the evolution of the earth as a whole.
The mention of this line of his thought introduces
us naturally to the next head, and that the one which
most deeply interests this Society,* namely, Dana as a
geologist.
Prof. H. S. Williams has already given an admir-
able account of this in the Journal of Geology for Sep-
tember, 1895. I am indebted to him for much that
follows. For other details I would refer the reader to
that article.
Development of the Earth as a Unit
As already said, the idea underlying all Dana's geo-
logical work is that of development of the earth as a
unit. Before Dana, geology was doubtless in some sense
a history — that is, a chronicle of interesting events ; but
with Dana it became much more, it became a philosophic
history, a life history, a history of the evolution of the
earth, and of the organic kingdom in connection with
one another. For the first time there was recognized a
time-cosmos governed by law as the true field of geology,
as the space-cosmos governed by law is the field of astron-
omy. Before Dana, geology was the study of a succes-
sion of formations; with Dana it was the study of a
succession of eras, periods, epochs, during which geo-
graphic forms and organic forms were both developing
toward a definite goal. The underlying idea of his
* The American Society of Geologists.
253
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
geological work, I repeat, was the evolution of the earth
as a whole.
It is necessary to stop a moment here to qualify and
explain. It is true that he made a difference between the
evolution of the earth and that of the organic kingdom.
It is true that while the development of the earth was
regarded by him as a natural process and determined by
natural causes, and therefore a true evolution, at first and
for a long time he regarded the progress of the organic
kingdom as belonging to a different category, as not an
evolution in the true sense of the word — that is, not as a
wholly natural process determined by natural forces re-
siding in the thing evolving. Like Agassiz, he preferred
to liken the developfnent of the organic kingdom to the
building of a temple under the intelligent plans of an
architect outside of the work and acting, as it were, on
foreign material, rather than to an egg evolving under
its own resident forces. He could not at first see that
natural processes are really divine processes, and natural
forces are forms of the divine energy resident in nature ;
yet it is plain to see now that his mind was so saturated
with the idea of evolution and his mode of thought so
determined by evolution methods that he was bound by
philosophic consistency to reach eventually a true evolu-
tion point of view in the case of the organic kingdom as
well as in that of the earth.
Let me, however, in passing do justice to Agassiz,
for in doing so I do justice also to Dana for embracing
his views.
There can be no doubt that Agassiz prepared the way
for the theory of evolution of the organic kingdom, and
even laid its whole foundation, in the three great laws of
succession of organic forms on the earth. These are : (i)
The law of differentiation of specialized from generalized
forms. These early generalized forms he called synthetic
types, combining types, prophetic types. (2) The law of
254
COMPARISON OF DANA AND AGASSIZ
successive culmination of higher and higher dominant
classes. This was embodied in his idea of successive
reigns. (3) The law of progress of the whole, though not
necessarily of all the parts. These three laws of succes-
sion of organic forms are literally the formal laws of
phylogeny and therefore of evolution. It only remained
to reduce these formal laws of succession to a natural
process. This Darwin did. Upon no other foundation
could a solid structure have been raised. Without
Agassiz, Darwin could not have been.
Now, Dana cordially adopted Agassiz's view of the
development of the organic kingdom. By its grandeur
and comprehensiveness it both captivated his mind and
satisfied his religious nature, but in his own peculiar field,
namely, that of development of earth-features, he always
spoke only of natural processes and natural causes.
Agassiz's strong and dominating nature never yielded to
the new doctrine. Even if he had lived to Dana's age,
it is probable he would never have adopted the modern
acceptation of evolution. Dana's more gentle and plastic
nature could not thus set in unchangeable form. His
open receptiveness of mind could not close itself to truth,
even though it came from unexpected quarters and in
unwelcome guise. He finally came to see that the
grandeur of Agassiz's view was not lessened by admitting
a natural process. In his latest utterances he cordially
accepted evolution in its modern sense and as applied to
the organic kingdom as not only the truest, but also the
noblest view of the process of development. But while
he held firmly and expressed clearly this idea of evolution
of the whole earth through all time, yet he recognized
the impossibility, in the present state of geological know-
ledge, of carrying it out in detail in every part of the
earth. He therefore conceived the idea of taking one
best-known and simplest continent as a type. He re-
garded the North American as such a type-continent and
25s
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
its evolution as an epitome of geological history. Un-
doubtedly in this he was right. In the simplicity of its
form and structure, and especially in the unity of its de-
velopment, it certainly deserves to be so regarded. To
show this unity of development has been the main object
of his geological work. As early as 1856 he compared
the evolution of the American continent to the develop-
ment of an egg. From this point of view (to carry out
the idea) the Canadian Archean area may be compared
to the germinal disc, about which gathered and organized
itself the whole continent. This idea of an organic de-
velopment of the continent he worked out in all its details.
Whether we accept all these details or not, the idea has
become the working theory not only for American geol-
ogists, but for geologists everywhere. There can be no
doubt that Dana's ideas and Dana's work, especially as
systematically embodied in his Manual, constitute a dis-
tinct epoch in the history of geological science.
Nor did he stop with the formal laws of this develop-
ment. His active mind could not rest short of inquiries
into the causes of these laws ; and for this inquiry his ac-
curate knowledge of physics and chemistry admirably
fitted him. A very brief outline of his views may be
stated as follows:
1. In the secular cooling of the earth from primal
incandescent liquid condition the continents mark the
places of earliest crust-cooling and consolidation, — prob-
ably because they were the places of least conductivity
and therefore of least transference of heat from within, —
while contrarily the future ocean basins were determined
by the places of greatest conductivity and therefore of
most rapid cooling all the way down to the centre, and
therefore also of most rapid radial contraction. But for
that very reason the crusting in these places was later, the
surface being kept hot by conduction of heat from below.
2. The more rapid contraction in a radial direction —
2t;6
DEVELOPMENT OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE
that is, sinking of the ocean bottoms — not only caused
water to accumulate there, but by straightening the curve
of the earth-crust pressed against the continents on each
side, pushing up their edges and crumpling them into
coast ranges, and thus determining the typical form of
continents, viz., that of interior continental basins with
coast-range rims. He worked out the whole theory of
mountain-range formation from this point of view; and
if American geologists have been especially active' and
successful in developing the theory of the formation of
mountain ranges, it is because Dana led the way. It is
easy to see, therefore, why he was so intensely interested
in the sinking of the mid-Pacific bottom, as indicated by
the coral reefs. This sinking had its correlative in the
elevation of the western side of the American continents,
north and south, and especially in the ridging up of their
margins into the great mountains on that side.
In the above statements (i and 2) I believe I have
given substantially Dana's views, although perhaps modi-
fied a little by suggestions of my own mind ; but we go
on.
3. It is evident that from this general point of view
the same causes which originated continents and ocean
basins, by continuing to act, would increase the size and
height of the former and the depth of the latter, and
therefore the places of continents and oceans must have
remained substantially the same. Dana, therefore, was
the originator of the idea of the substantial permanence
of the places of these greatest inequalities of the earth's
surface. The previous school, which may be called the
school of Lyell, took an entirely different view. The
gradual evolution of the earth as a unit and of the organic
kingdom as a whole was imperfectly, if at all, conceived
by the Lyellian school, for Darwin was not yet. Fossils
were ' ' medals of creation ' ' — means of determining strata ;
the oscillations of the earth's crust were irregular and
17 257
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
without law or goal ; the continents and the oceans had
changed many times in the history of the earth. For
Dana, on the contrary, earth-forms have steadily de-
veloped toward their present condition. The idea of
evolution was clearly conceived and applied to the earth
(though not to the organic kingdom) by Dana long before
Darwin's time.
Doubtless this idea of permanence of earth-forms may
be pressed too far, but was never so pressed by Dana.
For him it was not absolute rigid permanence, for that
would be contrary to the idea of evolution ; for him it
was permanence of thought, of plan, but carried out by
development, and therefore with many changes in detail.
There have doubtless been many oscillations of the
earth's crust, many submergences and emergences of
land surfaces, especially on the margins, though some-
times of greater extent and afJecting also the interior of
continents, oscillations the causes of which we do not yet
understand ; but with these qualifications and limitations
the principle is now well established and generally ac-
cepted.
4. As a necessary consequence of steady contraction
resisted by crust rigidity, there must have been paroxysms
of yielding and therefore periods of readjustments of the
crust to new positions, and therefore also extensive
changes of physical geography and corresponding changes
in organic forms. These times Dana appropriately called
revolutions. They are marked by the formation of great
mountain ranges. The greatest of these, and the one
that Dana first announced, was the "Appalachian revolu-
tion," which occurred at the end of the Paleozoic. Other
revolutions have been brought out by Dana and others.
The idea has been a most important and fertile one in
American geology.
5. Again, it is almost a necessary corollary from the
preceding view of the origin of continents and ocean
258
THE CONTINENTAL ICE-SHEET
basins by unequal radial contraction, that the sub-ocean
crust would be denser in proportion as it has contracted
more and the radii shorter, and the continental masses
lighter in proportion as they have contracted less, and
their radii longer; therefore, also, the continental masses
and the sub-oceanic material are in isostatic equilibrium.
This idea was originated later by Button, but is a neces-
sary result of Dana's views.
The Continental Ice-Sheet
I have dwelt on this idea of the development of the
earth as a unit because it is the grandest and most origi-
nal of Dana's ideas, and that on which his claims to
greatness must mainly rest ; but there are also other ideas
which, if they did not originate with him, were worked
out by him with untiring energy and consummate skill.
The most important among these, perhaps, is that of the
continental ice-sheet.
We have already spoken of the effect of Agassiz's
development-views on Dana. The fact is, there was
much in common in the character of the minds of the two
men. Both were in a marked degree men of advanced
thought and spirit. If Agassiz had the advantage of in-
tenser enthusiasm and perhaps greater genius, Dana had
the advantage of wider knowledge of science in many de-
partments and more systematic and orderly methods of
work. When Agassiz first brought out his views of the
ice-sheet origin of the drift, nearly all geologists, and
indeed scientific men generally, regarded them as in the
last degree chimerical. Humboldt wrote immediately
entreating him as he valued his reputation to reconsider
his extravagant views. Dana, on the contrary, at once
embraced them with ardor. Now that the contest has
ceased and Agassiz's views, pruned of some of their ex-
travagant features, have triumphed, on looking back over
the ground the important part that Dana played in this
259
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
controversy is evident. Many others have contributed
largely to the establishing of the fact of the existence of
a North American ice-sheet and determining its limits,
chief among whom must be mentioned Chamberlin, Up-
ham, Hitchcock, Lewis, Wright, and others; but Dana
was their leader, not only in first embracing the idea, but
in abundant, painstaking, detail work on the phenomena
in New England.
If time permitted, we might take up many other
subjects which he touched only to illuminate, subjects
which in his mode of handling showed that rare com-
bination of original thought and painstaking, detailed
work which characterized him in so remarkable a degree.
We can barely allude to his work on the vexed " Taconic
question," which he, assisted by Walcott and others, con-
tributed so largely to clear up ; also to his work on the
difficult question of metamorphism, to which he devoted
much thought and careful work in the field.
260
CHAPTER XVI
THE CLOSE OF LIFE
Advancing Years — The Close of Life — ^Tributes to his Memory — Academic
Honors — The Copley, WoUaston, and Clarke Medals, and the Walker
Prize.
WITH advancing years the interest of Professor Dana
in the studies of his lifetime was unabated. His
walks, his books, his proof-sheets, his correspondence,
continued to occupy his time. He resorted to none of
the modern devices for economizing strength by the em-
ployment of typewriters or amanuenses. His own pen
was always on duty. He received but few visits, and
rarely paid any. He avoided all excitements. His days
were serene. Letters to different members of his family
reveal the same affectionate and considerate nature which
was shown in those of his youth. Persons who have only
known him at a distance, as a man of learning, dignity,
and renown, cannot fail to welcome the glimpses of his
private life which are given in two letters, of the same
date, addressed to his absent grandchildren, then very
young, when the writer was more than fourscore years
of age.
TO HIS GRANDDAUGHTER
" New Haven, Sept. 17, 1893.
' My dear Granddaughter May
" I want to thank you for your good letter which you
wrote so nicely. It is delightful to know that you are
261
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
having pleasant boat-rides, and walks in the woods, and
berryings, and keep Dwight company in hammering nails
and making all sorts of things.
" Going after berries is grand sport. When a boy at
school, at Utica, I used to go off with other boys of the
school on long Saturday walks, a large basket in my hand,
and often bring home six or eight quarts of splendid large
blackberries, or strawberries, or raspberries. The high
blackberry bushes had thorns, and sometimes gave my
hands a bad scratch. But I got the berries and did not
care much for the scratches.
" Your papa has gone off a long ways to take a ride in
a boat and catch fish and get bitten by the black flies.
But he will soon be in Holderness again; and how de-
lighted you and Dwightie and Mamma will be!
" Grandma sends her love to May and will write her
before long. She was going to write to-day ; but as I am
ahead of her in writing you, she will probably put it off
for a few days, as I shall tell her I have written you when
she comes home from church. My love too to your good
Mamma.
" Your affectionate
"Grandpa Dana."
to his grandson
" New Haven, Sept. 17, 1893.
" My DEAR Grandson, James Dwight Dana:
" I was glad to receive your two good letters having
your name written by yourself at the end. They showed
that you were learning as well as growing up in Holder,
ness.
" Those naughty black flies ! But I suppose they were
very hungry, and knew your papa was good to eat, and
so flew right at him the first chance. I remember one
time, when I was aboard a ship at an island in the ocean,
the flies came in such crowds that at dinner they made the
table look black, all the dishes being covered thickly with
them. But they went off as soon as the sun was down.
But then, as it began to grow dark, mosquitoes came in
crowds, hungry for blood, and they kept at us all night
long until daylight. Then the flies came back again.
262
GLIMPSES OF HOME LIFE
To get rid of the flies and mosquitoes, the ship sailed out
on the ocean away from the island, where the winds were
blowing strong; and as soon as a fly or mosquito showed
itself on deck where the wind could reach it, the wind
carried it off ; and so in one day they were all drowned
in the ocean. We were real glad to be rid of them.
" So you find the geological hammer good also ' for
driving nails.' Your papa is very kind to give you all the
nails you want. You tell me that you have again begun
to collect stamps : and here is a lot from Aunt Amy for
your collection."
Here are two letters, of a still later date, addressed to
his eldest son, who was then absent, with his wife, on a
rest-tour.
TO EDWARD S. DANA, IN ALGIERS
A Birthday Celebrated
"New Haven, Feb. 12, 1894.
" Your most gratifying birthday greeting reached here
Saturday, the loth, which is a wonderfully close hit con-
sidering your distance off. The day has now come, and
I find myself in good condition. The morning's mail has
brought in the package of photogravures, which we have
all enjoyed very much, and another of your always ex-
cellent letters. . . . You see I keep plodding on.
Williams takes off all Journal work, and does well his
editorial duty. Geology controls the most of my thoughts,
night and day ; and yet they are often with you and your
good wife in your African home, rejoicing that the climate
and the beauties of the border of the tropics are giving
you happiness and real improvement. Then starts up the
wish that you were well now and back again. It is a
satisfaction for me to know that you have not been as far
down as I was in 1859-60, when conversation with any
one was a burden. An evening with Des Cloizeaux, in
Paris, on my first arrival there in '59, was a severe trial to
me, and a backward stroke.
" 12 h. 20'. After all, even Biskra is only a few hours
off, for a message from you has just come in, gladdening
263
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
us, and making us realize that we are almost within speak-
ing distance.
"2 h. P.M. Dinner has passed, and here comes in
Dwightie, the beautiful boy, with two big boxes of flowers
for grandpa's birthday — one from May, full of the largest
white, or rather creamy, roses, and the other from him,
containing two of the grandest of red roses, the ' Ameri-
can Beauties,' on stems more than a foot long. I showed
Dwightie, the other day, the mercury rising in a ther-
mometer from the heat of the register in the dining-room,
— to 80°, 90°, 100°, — he himself giving these numbers,
without prompting. Whether on returning to Elm street
he got hold of a Bristol thermometer and tried the experi-
ment himself with disastrous results, I have not heard.
" Feb. 13th. Last night, in the last of my dreams, I
tried to induce one of my neighbors uptown, having a
very large property (I cannot recall the name or place), to
allow me to locate there one of the largest of volcanoes.
He thought a small one would do. So Geology keeps
control. I was much interested in all you said about
Professor Roscoe. Professor Brush enjoyed it too. I
have only space to add my message of love to your most
admirable wife and to yourself, along with my earnest
wishes for continued improvement."
TO THE SAME, IN ALGIERS
" New Haven, April 22, 1S94.
" All are in good condition in the two homes. May is
making her first visit out of town with a schoolmate, as
you will no doubt hear from Elm street. Dwight was to
have special entertainment during her absence, but what
I have not heard. He looked quite like a schoolboy the
other day, he having his slate with him when he came to
see us, and some of his writing on it — very well written,
too. I introduced him, two or three weeks since, to the
foot-rule and yardstick ; after marking his height on the
side of the doorway between the study and library, I
took the foot-rule to measure with, and saying to him,
' There is twelve inches,' — then ' another twelve,' — I
asked him how much that made, and he instantly re-
plied, ' Twenty-four.' I concluded he had learned some-
264
THE APPROACHING END
thing even if he had been only to the kindergarten, where
they don't teach arithmetic.
" My work — the Geology — makes progress as fast as is
well for me ; only three hours a day is a wasteful use of
the twelve hours of daylight, but it accomplishes some-
thing. It is a gratification to me that I can get willing
help from all the working geologists, young and old ; but
to keep up the correspondence and digest and introduce
all the new or changed facts, that come in requires labor
that seems endless when restricted to so brief a part of
each day."
The shadows lengthened, — but they brought no gloom.
To the vision of Dana the night was bright and not dark,
the sky was set with stars and not covered with clouds.
As he looked backward and then looked forward the
words of Blanco White might have fallen from his lips :
Who could have thought such darkness lay concealed
Within thy beams, O Sun ! or who could find.
Whilst fly and leaf and insect stood revealed.
That to such countless orbs thou mad'st us blind !
He rarely spoke of his advancing years, but once to his
old friend (Prof. J. P. Lesley of Philadelphia) he wrote
as follows:
" New Haven, Nov. 5, 1893.
" A recent note from Mr. Walcott tells me that you
have been very ill for some months. It grieves me much
to hear such news about you. For one who has hardly
known sickness it is the greater trial, and especially as
age lessens hope. Then, so much work remains un-
finished!
" But it is a source of great satisfaction to you that your
ever-active mind and body have made so much of the
passing years. I was yesterday reading your name con-
nected with some geological observations in the proofs of
my Geology, and a later proof will have a notice of your
small topographical map of Pennsylvania, along with a
265
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
copy of the map, as large as the page. The map is a
very instructive one, orographically, and especially as
regards the Appalachian region.
" I, too, feel age encroaching on old privileges. I used
to have a spring in my walk, and get delight out of it.
But for a little over a month, owing to a weakening of
some strings, my heart has compelled me to take what I
fhould before have called a creeping gait. Such en-
•^croachments are reminders that the end is coming. But
it will be peace, rest, and, I believe, joy unending. Life
were worth living if it were only for the end."
The end of that man was peace. He continued his
work until almost the last day. Final proofs of one of his
books had been read and corrected. Four brief notices
from his pen appeared in the March number of the Jour-
nal of Science. A letter to Mr. Frank Leverett (on the
work of the wind in moving sand and pebbles) was dated
April I2th.* On that same day the venerable student
* An extract from this letter is here given, to show the clearness of the
worker's mind until the very last. It is quoted from the Journal of
Geology :
"With regard to the eolian work along valley plains, I think great cau-
tion is necessary, because eolian work is of a fitful kind. The more power-
ful winds blow in gusts, or rather a succession of them, and each of the
gusts is of rather narrow limit ; and in each gust great velocity is succeeded
by a decline in which the depositions vary accordingly as to coarse and fine
and limit. Making loess — unstratified — ^by the winds would require a steady
breeze sufficient to move the light earth or sand long in a common direc-
tion, but too near unvarying in force or velocity to produce alternations from
coarse to fine. It is an even kind of work that winds are not often fit for.
They heap up at the slightest provocation, strike the ground and glance off
when of greatest force. It takes something of a breeze to even start the
dust of a road, because the dust is two thousand times heavier than the air
and the air near the ground slips over the surface readily without disturbing
it. Excuse me for thus discoursing on wind work.
"Do you know what is the size of the largest pebbles taken up by a
storm wind from a level surface and carried, as it carries sand, for a few
yards ? The houses in the track of some of the great Western gales must
have windows sometimes broken in this way ; and perhaps their owners, if
reliable, could give some facts worth knowing.''
266
DEATH
walked out as usual, with no indications of increasing in-
firmities. On Saturday, the 13th, he did not feel as well
as usual, and on Sunday he kept his bed. In the evening
signs of exhaustion came on, and before a physician could
reach him, life had departed. This was on April 14, 1895,
when he was eighty-two years and two months old. The
Wednesday following he was borne to his grave in the old
cemetery on Grove street, in New Haven, the bier being
followed by kindred, colleagues, neighbors, students, and
by some of his friends from a distance, religious services
having been held at his house.
The posthumous tributes that were paid to this great
naturalist were numerous. His elder son, colleague and
successor in the editorial chair, published at once an out-
line of the father's life, so complete and satisfactory that
subsequent notices have been based upon it, — the filling
in of his skilful sketch. Dr. Munger, pastor of the
United church in New Haven, a few days after the
funeral preached a discourse on the " Creation," and
concluded with an extended eulogy of one who had
been a lifelong student of nature. The American
Oriental Society, in session at New Haven, the day
before the funeral passed resolutions recognizing the
value of Dana's contributions to the knowledge of the
Orient. His name was naturally associated with that of
the distinguished philologist. Professor Whitney, who
had died in New Haven a few months previous. Presi-
dent Dwight, in a discourse at Commencement, eulogized
the two careers. The Yale Alumni Association of New
York adopted a minute commemorating both scholars in
terms of admiration and gratitude.* The scientific jour-
nals, far and near, and the scientific societies of Europe
and America recorded their reverence and respect. The
Brooklyn Institute held a public meeting to rehearse the
* Judge Howland presided and the minute was presented by Hon. D. H.
Chamberlain.
267
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
distinctions of one of their earliest associate members, —
and the discourse that was then delivered by Professor
H. S. Williams was soon given to the press. Before the
Geological Society of America, Professor Joseph Le
Conte, of the University of California, presented an ad-
mirable analysis of Dana's intellectual qualities, and of
his diverse contributions to knowledge. Few men are so
competent as this gifted writer, a geologist and zoologist,
to weigh and estimate the merits and services of his older
friend, and from his memoir copious extracts have been
made in the pages of this biography.* At a meeting of
the Academy of Sciences in Paris, on the 6th of May, M.
Blanchard, who had reviewed the geological works of
Dana at the time of his election as a correspondent of
the Academy, again called attention to the Exploration
Reports ; and M. Daubr^e, in a fresher and more extended
notice, reviewed the contributions of his American col-
league to the sciences of mineralogy and geology.
The corps of the United States Geological Survey ad-
dressed to Mrs. Dana the following note :
"Washington, D. C, April 23, 1895.
" Dear Madam :
" We desire to convey to you the expression of our
deepest sympathy in the bereavement which you suffer at
the death of your distinguished husband, Professor Dana.
" As his pupils, colleagues, and friends, we share in
your sorrow, realizing that a leader of lifelong experience
and tried ability has been taken from us.
" His prolonged and comprehensive labors in behalf of
science, his long service as a teacher, and the influence
of his published works place him in the foremost rank of
geologists of the world. There is no geologist better
known ; there is none other to whom so many owe the
inspiration and guidance which lead to success. But
though scientists the world over mourn his loss, they re-
joice, as we feel sure he did, in the completion of his
* See the preceding chapter.
268
TRIBUTES TO HIS MEMORY
latest work, which will always stand as a monument to
the breadth of his knowledge and to his devotion to
geology. It is a fitting culmination of a great career.
"In grateful appreciation of the value of Professor
Dana's life-work, and with earnest sympathy for yourself,
" We remain yours,
"Chas. D. Walcott, Arthur Keith,
G. K. Gilbert, J. W. Powell,
S. F. Emmons, G. F. Becker,
Arnold Hague, W. J. McGee,
Bailey Willis, C. Willard Hayes,
J. S. Diller, Robt. T. Hill,
Geo. H. Eldridge, N. H. Darton,
Walter H. Weed, David T. Day,
W. LiNDGREN, Charles Schuchert,
F. H. Newell, T. W. Stanton,
M. R. Campbell, David White,
F. W. Clarke, F. H. Knowlton,
W. F. Hillebrand, Lester F. Ward,
H. N. Stokes, Wm. H. Dall,
Whitman Cross."
Of the many expressions of affection and respect which
were received by Mrs. Dana and her son Edward, a few
only can be given here.
FROM SIR JOSEPH PRESTWICH TO MRS. DANA
" Darent-Holme, Shoreham, Sevenoaks, April 30, 1895.
' ' It was with the deepest regret that I heard of the ir-
reparable loss you had sustained in the death of your dis-
tinguished husband. He was my near contemporary, I
being not quite a year older. We never met, but I seem
to have known him in consequence of our correspondence,
and the interest I took in his work, and his brilliant career
as a geologist. He was long the Doyen of American
geologists, and his loss will be deeply mourned on this
side of the Atlantic."
FROM SIR ARCHIBALD GEIKIE TO MRS. DANA
" 28 Jermyn Street, London, S. W., 6th May, 1895.
" Will you accept my sincere sympathy in the sorrow
which has fallen upon you and yours, and which no words
269
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
from strangers across the sea can in any way lessen ? Yet
it may be some consolation to you to know how deeply
and widely your husband was beloved and admired, and
how truly we feel, wherever science is cultivated, that
one of our great masters has passed away.
" For myself, I have more than the common regret, for
I have seen him personally in his own home and have
learnt how he brightened that home, and how lovingly
and tenderly he was watched over there. I have been
with him in the field and have had the geological features
of his home pointed out to me in his characteristic en-
thusiastic way. I have had many kindly letters from
him. And thus I feel that a dear personal friend has
been lost to me.
" Most truly do I share in this grief, for I have learnt
to know something of the tenderness, sympathy, and
simple-mindedness which underlay those high mental
gifts which we all so reverenced and admired. ' '
FROM PROFESSOR JOHN W. JUDD TO PROFESSOR
E. S. DANA
" i6 Cumberland Road, Kew, 28th April, 1895.
" Allow me to express to you the profound sympathy
I feel for your mother, yourself, and all the members of
your family in the great loss you have sustained. All
that memory of the universal admiration and esteem in-
spired by him who is lost can do to assuage the bitter-
ness of your grief, is assuredly yours. Bound as we are
by ties of language and consanguinity, I believe that the
news of your father's death has produced as great a shock
in the scientific world of Old England as it has done in
New England.
" Though it was never my good fortune to have had
the opportunity of grasping your father's hand, yet fre-
quent correspondence has made me so familiar with the
sweetness and generosity of his nature, with his untiring
energy, his devotion to science, and his love of truth,
that I feel that I have lost in him a warm personal friend.
In America he must have occupied a place like that filled
by Darwin in this country, and, geologists and mineralo-
gists all over the world will feel that the greatest of all
the masters of our science has now passed away."
270
JAMES D. DANA
February, 1895. In his 83d Year
TRIBUTES TO HIS MEMORY
FROM BENJAMIN D. SILLIMAN TO MRS. DANA
"56 Clinton Street, Brooklyn, April 18, 1895.
" I was most unwillingly absent from your sad circle*
yesterday. No hindrance less than that of a ninetieth
year and a disabling cold would have prevented my being
with you.
" Our dear friend was fitter for the world to. which he
has gone than for a longer stay in this. We who remain
ought to be grateful that such almost boundless know-
ledge and wisdom and goodness were accorded to him
here — and that his transit from earth to heaven was, like
that of your blessed father, translation rather than death.
His was indeed a most useful and honored life. History
records the names of few, if any, who have so enlarged
the bounds of science and deserved and received so
largely the grateful plaudits of the most learned, the
wisest, and the highest of their fellow-men. None but
a very great mind could have deserved and received
such rare honors and borne them with such simplicity —
with such entire absence of vanity or even of observable
elation. I have long regarded him as a very great as well
as a very good man."
FROM HENRY WOODWARD, PRESIDENT OF THE GEOLO-
GICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, TO MRS. DANA
" Geological Society, Burlington House,
" W. London, 8th May, 1895.
" On behalf of the Council of the Geological Society of
London, I am desired to transmit to you the following
resolution, passed this day:
" ' The President and Council of the Geological Society
of London have learnt with deep regret the decease of
their distinguished fellow-geologist. Professor James
Dwight Dana, LL.D, Ph.D., A.M., who for forty-four
years was a Foreign Member of the Society, and was a
recipient of the Wollaston Medal in 1872, the highest
honor which the Society has in its power to bestow.
They desire to place on record their profound sense of
the loss which the sciences of Geology and Mineralogy
271
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
have sustained by the death of Professor Dana, who has
so largely contributed to establish these sciences not only
in America, but also in Europe, and who, as editor of the
American journal of Science, has kept alive for years an
active interest in all branches of natural science both at
home and abroad. The President and Council desire to
convey to Mrs. Dana and her son their heartfelt sympathy
with them on the irreparable loss that they have suffered.'
" Yours very faithfully,
" Henry Woodward,
" President."
FROM W. FORSTER HEDDLE
"St. Andrews, Scotland, May i8, 1895.
" I thank you much for having sent me the notice of
your illustrious father. I have for years considered him
to be, taking him all round, the first mineralogist in the
world — especially as a diffuser of mineralogical know-
ledge through his unrivalled Systems of Mineralogy.
The advantage which I myself have derived from these
works, as regards such knowledge as I have, is not to be
told. I always went to them as to a haven to cast my
anchor in, and know where I was. His views regarding
certain rocks so nearly, if not absolutely, corresponded
with my own that I have been in the habit, in discussions
with some members of our Geological Society, of shaking
your father's pages in their faces, as it were.
" I have never, also, forgotten — I can never forget — the
kindly and the interested way in which he expressed him-
self to me on the few occasions upon which I corresponded
with him. I am very sorry that I did so little — but I am
a bad correspondent, and when I thought of the immense
amount of the work which he must have undertaken in
keeping his Systems up to date, I did not like to claim a
moment of his time. I also thank you for that likeness
— it is a noble head, has a grand carriage, and the sparkle
of the eye is wonderful."
FROM DONALD G. MITCHELL, ESQ.
" Edgewood, April 17, 1895.
" I cannot forbear adding my word of condolence to
those which must have come to you from so many.
272
FROM HIS YALE COLLEAGUES
When we were gathering those buttercups — so little time
ago — for the ' golden wedding,' who would have believed
(we surely did not) that before the next gathering of
spring flowers the golden life itself would be ended ?
" It was certainly a beautiful life ; and we are told that
the end was as beautiful. What better has the world to
give ?"
Personal expressions of friendship and admiration had
reached Mr. Dana while he was growing old. One of
the most gratifying, because it came from those who
knew him best, was a letter addressed to him, on his
eightieth birthday, by some of his older colleagues in
the university to which the latter half of his life was de-
voted. It was published after his death by his friend
Professor Fisher, to whose pen it may be attributed.
After rehearsing the grounds of Dana's exceptional emi-
nence, the letter concludes with these words :
"It is gratifying to know that your services to the
cause of science have obtained full recognition from
teachers and students of science and from learned bodies
in all civilized countries. None will question that the
honors which have thus been so abundantly bestowed
and so modestly received are well deserved. The con-
sciousness that the motive of your researches has been an
unalloyed love of truth and an unselfish desire to enlarge
the bounds of human knowledge must give to these testi-
monials all the value that such marks of honor can ever
possess.
" We congratulate you that your academic relations
both with fellow-professors and with pupils have been so
uniformly pleasant. The classes which, in long succes-
sion, have listened to your instructions, could their
voices be heard, would unite in expressions of sincere
respect both for the qualities of character and for the
talents and learning of their revered instructor. But it
is no part of our purpose to enter into a detailed state-
ment of the reasons which render it peculiarly agreeable
for us, your old friends and neighbors, to offer to you to-
day our heartfelt congratulations. Had it been thought
i8 273
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
worth while to extend the list of subscribers to this let-
ter, no doubt all the members of the teaching body in
the University would gladly have added their names.
But our communication is simply intended as an expres-
sion, from a few of your older associates, of interest in
this anniversary and of our earnest hope that the blessing
of a kind Providence may continue to be with you and
with the members of your family."
The testimonial was signed by Timothy Dwight, George
E. Day, George P. Fisher, George J. Brush, William H.
Brewer, O. C. Marsh, Franklin B. Dexter, Edward E.
Salisbury, William D. Whitney, Hubert A. Newton,
Samuel W. Johnson, Daniel C. Eaton, A. E. Verrill,
Addison Van Name, Sidney I. Smith.
Here are two letters of an earlier date, characteristic of
two lifelong friends :
FROM DR. S. WELLS WILLIAMS AND A REPLY
"Shanghai, China, Oct. ii, 1872.
" My dear old Friend James :
" I am going to make this piece of Chinese art, this
snuff-bottle of a kind of chalcedony called here ' lamp-
wick agate,' worth more than ever it was before by pre-
senting it to you as a birthday present on your sixtieth
birthday.* It won't contain half of my good wishes and
prayers for your happiness and usefulness here and here-
after, but you may look upon each of the pretty spiculse
fossilized in it as possessing an individual representation
of the pleasant remembrance I have of our lifelong
friendship.
" May God's abiding presence and love go with you
all the days He has work for you to do here, and' receive
you then, with your affectionate
"S. W. W."
* The bottle was placed in the Peabody Museum, 1881. The birth-
day was February 12, 1873.
274
FROM HIS FRIENDS IN WASHINGTON
TO S. WELLS WILLIAMS
" New Haven, April 13, 1873.
"My dear old Schoolmate:
" Your affectionate birthday greeting — the sixtieth
birthday ! — met with most cordial response in my heart, if
not followed by an immediate return of messages. I have
never failed, as each year has passed, to recognize with
gratitude the goodness from above that gave us Christian
homes on the same street in the same pleasant Christian
city, where Sunday-schools were a delight, and other
Christian influences pointed heavenward. Thence we
have journeyed on through threescore years — and in re-
gions widely distant, as distances are measured on earth,
and yet, on that heavenward way, not far apart. Your
words at least make me feel that we are near, and nearer
than ever before. I have not had, any more than your-
self, sad years to look back upon, not even days that
seemed dark and gloomy, for the world has been full of
delights, and the future full of delightful prospects, even
when health seemed to be failing. And still I labor on
rejoicing — doubting if this year may not be the last to a
long-tired head — yet rejoicing in my home here, and in
the work which my hands and head find to do, and also
in bright views of that upper home toward which earth
converges. Your beautiful gift, mineralogically interest-
ing as well as beautiful, was most acceptable and has been
much admired. I need not say that I greatly value it."
From a number of his scientific friends in Washington
this letter came on the golden-wedding day of Mr. and
Mrs. Dana, June 5, 1894.
FROM HIS SCIENTIFIC FRIENDS IN WASHINGTON
" To Professor Dana, Nestor of American geologists,
and to his faithful helpmate for fifty years, his Washing-
ton pupils, admirers, and followers send greetings on this
their golden-wedding day. Few reach this golden mile-
post, still fewer pass it. Among these very few. Pro-
fessor Dana, still at work, impresses us profoundly with
2;5
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
the debt which geology owes to him. Our congratula-
tions are for the pupils who have had such a master, but
our admiration and veneration are for the master ! May
his lifelong pursuit, so ardently, so diligently, so per-
sistently followed, not cease to interest and solace him as
the evening shadows draw on, is the heartfelt wish of all.
Simon Newcomb, Charles Schuchert,
S. F. Emmons, R. L. Packard,
Chas. D. Walcott, Lester F. Ward,
G. K. Gilbert, Frank H. Knowlton,
Bailey Willis, T. W. Stanton,
G. Brown Goode, E. W. Parker,
Robert T. Hill, David T. Day,
James C. Pilling, Geo. P. Merrill,
Whitman Cross, Carl Barus,
Henry Gannett, F. W. Clarke,
H. M. Wilson, Garrick Mallery,
J. S. Diller, J. L. Eastman,
N. H. Darton, Jos. C. Hornblower,
Marcus Baker, Edwin E. Howell,
Chas. Willard Hayes, Thomas M. Chatard,
and all the other friends in Washington, if they could
only be caught to sign the paper."
Throughout his later life academic honors had been
abundant. Amherst College, the home of the geologist
of the Connecticut valley. President Edward Hitchcock,
conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of
Laws in 1853, before he entered upon the professorship
at Yale. He was admitted to the like distinction at Har-
vard in 1886, and at Edinburgh in 1889. From Munich,
in 1872, he received the honorary degree of Doctor of
Philosophy. Among the foreign academies to which he
was elected were these : the Royal Societies of London
and Edinburgh and Dublin, the Academy of Sciences in
the Institute of France, the Imperial and Royal Acad-
emies of St. Petersburg, Vienna, Berlin, Gottingen,
Munich, Stockholm, Buda-Pesth, and the Royal Lincei
of Rome. One of the earliest of such honors was an
election to the Soci6t6 Philomathique in Paris. From
his own countrymen the like recognition came — at Boston,
276
ACADEMIC HONORS
New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Brooklyn.
In a letter to Mr. Winthrop, who had inquired about one
of these distinctions, Dana wrote: " I have the gratifying
reflection as regards all the honors I have received, (which
include foreign membership in each of the prominent
Royal Societies or Academies of the nations of Europe,
except those of London * and Madrid), I had never ex-
pressed to any one a wish or hope, — not even to my wife. ' '
In 1854, he was President of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science ; and later, Vice-Presi-
dent of the National Academy of Sciences.
On several occasions Dana was the recipient of distinc-
tions still more personal. The Copley Medal, awarded
by the Council of the Royal Society of London once a
year, is sometimes called " the blue ribbon of science,"
because it is given to a student of any country who has
shown extraordinary ability and attainments in any
branch of science. Consequently the list of the laureati
includes inost of the original investigators of the last half-
century. Sylvester and Newcomb are among those who
have received this distinction. This medal came to Dana
in 1877. Sir Joseph Hooker, the President of the So-
ciety, wrote to him that the Royal Society bestowed on
him their highest honor, for his biological, geological, and
mineralogical investigations, carried on through half a
century ; and for the valuable works in which his con-
clusions and discoveries have been published. It was a
pleasant incident of the award that a Yale graduate,
Hon. Edwards Pierrepont, then United States Minister
in England, received the medal in behalf of his country-
man, and, at a subsequent banquet, acknowledged a toast
in honor of the naturalist.
Five years before, in 1872, the Wollaston Medal of the
Royal Geological Society of London had been awarded
to Dana for his contributions to mineralogy and geology.
* The fellowship of the Royal Society of London came to him later,
277
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
The official announcement came to him from David
Forbes, and it was accompanied by a private letter from
Henry Woodward, of the British Museum, giving an in-
side view of the circumstances which preceded its be-
stowal. He mentions that in the three years previous,
Ramsay, H. E. Sorby, and Carl F. Naumann had been
the recipients of this honor.
The Royal Society of New South Wales awarded him
the Clarke Memorial Medal in 1882.
A lofty peak in the Sierra Nevada of the Pacific slope
bears the name Mount Dana.
One of the latest and most gratifying recognitions came
to Professor Dana from Boston when he was almost eighty
years old. In April, 1892, a telegram brought him the
announcement that the Boston Society of Natural History
would bestow upon him the Walker Prize of one thou-
sand dollars for distinguished services in natural history.
This dispatch was followed by a letter from the Presi-
dent, Dr. George L. Goodale, of Harvard, in which he
congratulated the recipient that his scientific activity,
covering a period of more than half a century, was still
fruitful in valuable rftsults. "At a time of life," he con-
tinues, " when many students would seek release from
labor, you are seeking for new problems to investigate,
and you maintain to-day an untiring interest in the first
subjects which commanded your attention."
Dana replied :
" After a long life of work, it is a great satisfaction to
have words of approbation from those that are highly
esteemed for their scientific learning and judgment, and
especially to have such words made emphatic by so large
a gift. The allusion to my labor in natural history leads
my mind back to expedition days, and recalls the fact
that our scientific corps in the Wilkes Exploring Expedi-
tion was half Bostonian, and now, when the fiftieth anni-
versary of the return of the expedition (June loth), after
a four years' cruise, is but a few weeks off, Boston Science
278
LONGEVITY OF NATURALISTS
sends me the kind greeting. Please assure the Commit-
tee of the Society that I warmly appreciate the honor
conferred by the award and thank them for their words
of commendation." *
* The longevity of great naturalists is noteworthy. With most of those
named in the following list (except the first three, Linnaeus, Cuvier and
Buffon), Dana corresponded. Only two of the number reached a more
advanced age than that at which he died.
Linnsus 1707-1778 71 Milne-Edwards 1800-1885 85
Buffon 1707-1788 81 Agassiz 1807-1873 66
Cuvier 1769-1832 63 Guyot 1807-1884 77
Eaton 1776-1842 66 Darwin 1809-1882 73
Berzelius 1779-1848 69 Gray 1810-1888 78
Silliraan 1779-1864. . . .85 Dana 1813-1895 82
Lyell 1797-1875 78 Huxley 1825-1895 70
Torrey 1798-1873 75 Marsh 1831-1899 68
279
CHAPTER XVII
PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND HABITS: A RETROSPECT
Personal Appearance — Mode of Life — Usual Occupations and Recreations
— Continuous Ill-Health.
NOW that we have followed this long and honorable
career from the nursery to the grave, an attempt
must be made to draw a portrait, so that in future years
those who ask how such a man appeared and what were
his daily occupations may to some extent at least be
gratified.*
Dana was slender and not tall — perhaps five feet nine
inches in height. All his motions were quick and nervous.
He gave the impression of incessant energy, forced some-
times to rest, but bounding back to his work as a ball re-
bounds from the wall which has interrupted its progress.
His eyes were deep blue, and his hair, light brown in
early life, was in old age abundant gray. His face was
bright and benignant, and he always had a friendly smile
for those who came to see him. His ways were simple
and direct, as if he had no time to waste in ceremony,
and his letters, in later life, were brief and pointed, yet
* Two likenesses are given in this volume, — one of them the copy of a
portrait painted by Daniel Huntington of New York, in May, 1857, when
Dana was invited to sit as one of a group of scientific men interested in the
laying of the first Atlantic cable ; the other, a reproduction of the very
latest photograph, taken in 1895. Each in its way is satisfactory. The
resemblance of Dana's face to that of Schiller, as it is represented in a well-
known engraving, has sometimes been noticed. There is a bas-relief like-
ness in the Yale collections.
280
PERSONAL HABITS
this rapidity of action never led to the slightest dis-
courtesy, nor to the neglect of anything essential. His
manuscripts for the printer bore the marks of incessant
corrections, and he never hesitated to alter and cut at
pleasure until the word to print was finally given. He
has been heard to say, " I cannot tell how a paragraph
will look until I see it in type."
Dana's study was in his dwelling-house. It was a
bright, sunny room facing to the southwest, with a large
anteroom which served as " a stack " for such books as
were not in frequent use. His working apparatus was
simple — a few instruments, a small cabinet, a good many
maps, and a library of moderate size, chiefly composed
of scientific works. There was a side door to the north
by which the family maintained easy access to their kin-
dred next door — an entrance, moreover, by which many
of those who were accustomed to consult the editor
in his sanctum had the freest admission. They would
appear without being announced, and their host, when
he was well, would readily lay down his pen and engage
in conversation; or, more frequently, he would proceed
to the correction of a proof-sheet, or the preparation of a
note, or the draughting of a letter on some subject intro-
duced by his visitors. He had the art of bearing inter-
ruptions gracefully and of turning again to his work as if
nothing had occurred. It was his custom to be his own
letter-carrier, and two or three times a day he might be
seen going to and from the post-ofifice, hands, pockets,
and even hat filled with the voluminous mail that per-
tained to the Journal of Science. His library was a
laboratory. It overlooked the garden where he often
spent an hour of repose in the care of his plants and
shrubs. He was not a buyer of many books, but every-
thing in his line seemed naturally to seek him. The
shelves were filled with the transactions of the learned
societies to which he belonged, long sets of scientific
281
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
serials, and the latest publications of naturalists. In the
cabinet of drawers various specimens collected on his
journeys were kept for convenient reference. A micro-
scope and magnifying glasses were as constantly at hand
as his pen and ink. The voluminous mail was promptly
dispatched. His correspondents never waited long for
answers to their queries. He was not a frequent reader of
novels or poetry, — but he kept up well with investigations
in all departments of science, and with the characteristics
and achievements of those who were working in his
chosen field. He had the art of turning readily to any
memoir or scientific paper that he wished to consult, —
and a memory which was both comprehensive and trust-
worthy. He could invariably seize the significant points
in long and complex papers. Although not a remarkable
linguist, he was familiar with Greek and Latin, and he
could make use of German, French, and Italian, and to
a limited extent of Spanish and of Swedish. As a lec-
turer he was clear, emphatic, and well prepared, but he
was not fond of the platform. Only once was he per-
suaded to go upon a lecturing tour. In 1857, ^^ deliv-
ered an address before the citizens of New Haven in
support of the Sheffield Scientific School, and this was
repeated before the Yale Alumni, yet in general he
shrank from such appearances in public.
Out-of-door life was an unfailing pleasure. Gardening
suited him. There was a time when skating gave him
great enjoyment. During one season horseback-riding
became an exhilarating entertainment. With Professor
Porter, Professor Fisher, General Russell, and others,
the country roads and woody paths were traversed for
many miles around New Haven, long before the parks
that now open the environs had been projected. The
sailboat had no attractions for the returned mariner.
Walking was his chief recreation. The hills and valleys
of the neighborhood were crossed and recrossed with the
282
RECREATIONS
same zest that in early life had been directed to the study
of the islands of the sea. His manual of the New Haven
rocks and their lessons will always be a guide of the ob-
serving student and the scientific visitor. He made long
geological excursions in western New England and on
Long Island. When he came home from a summer in
the Alps, he drew up an itinerary by which an economi-
cal tourist might be directed to the most important
points. For household games he had no liking, though
at one time, when his eyes were weak, backgammon was
an evening entertainment. He used neither spirits nor
tobacco. He was fond of music, and in early life had
played the flute and guitar, but he rarely attended con-
certs, and he could not be called a singer, although when
an undergraduate he was a member of the Beethoven
Society and for a time leader of the village choir. Some
musical compositions of his, dating from the second long
voyage, have been preserved. A cantata, known as The
Nativity, was given at the Yale Commencement of 1843,
by the " Sing-Song Club," of which Edward W. Gilman
was a leading member. Quite late in his life (1884) he
revised this composition with the help of Dr. Stoeckel,
the college Professor of Music. Another of his compo-
sitions was the music for an ode to the ship Peacock,
written by the surgeon. Dr. J. C. Palmer. Both these
gentlemen found a source of recreation and pleasure
in their joint musical and poetical work during the
voyage.
In hours of repose, on a walk over the hills, at his own
table, in the society of neighbors and pupils. Professor
Dana was quick to perceive the drollery of an unusual
situation, sympathetic with those who were in trouble or
perplexity, ready with suggestions and assistance. He
seldom talked of himself, or of his varied adventures, or
of his intimate friends. The perils of the expedition
were rarely alluded to. He had no stock of stories.
283
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
That humorous reference to " the trilobites, and the
story they could tell," is quite an exceptional passage in
his writings.* Yet he was easily drawn into conversa-
tion upon scientific subjects; and with those whom he
saw familiarly, like Guyot, Brush, Marsh, Verrill, and
Williams, the conversations were spirited, controversial,
inquisitive, and instructive.
To his students he was devoted. One of his lectures
upon the Coral Islands was a great favorite with them,
and it was often repeated by request. Vivid pictures of
those beautiful formations were presented by the lecturer,
year after year, with the enthusiasm of a voyager just re-
turned from the exploration of the South Seas. When
the earlier writings of Darwin appeared, and all educated
people were eager to know how these startling generali-
zations should be received, Dana lectured to the college
world upon this subject, and his guarded utterances con-
tributed not a little to the acceptance, among his fol-
lowers, of the doctrine of evolution.
His domestic life was as serene as it could be. Next
door dwelt his father-in-law, Professor Silliman, to the
end of his days, and next door beyond, on Hillhouse
avenue, his brother-in-law, the younger Silliman. The
avenue was lined with the houses of colleagues and
friends. Shaded by the beautiful elms which were
planted by James Hillhouse, it was one of the most at-
tractive places of residence in New England. It was
within sound of the lively college bell, and far enough
from the public green to be as quiet as a country lane.
As the reader has already become aware, Dana's re-
ligious life was simple and devout, full of good-will to all
men, absolutely free from dogmatism and obtrusiveness.
Even among his most intimate friends he rarely referred
to his inmost convictions and hopes. Only when some
sermon or some book spoke contemptuously of the pursuit
* Page 183.
284
PROFESSOR LE CONTE'S PORTRAIT
of science, or of the tendencies of modern investiga-
tion, did he speak out loud against such bigotry, yet
always in an extenuating tone, as if he would remove the
error and instruct the writer. Just before the expedition
sailed, he became a member of the First church of Christ
in New Haven, and in later life he was a communicant in
the college church and was constant in his attendance
upon divine worship. For a considerable period he was
frequently present at the meetings of the Connecticut
Academy of Arts and Sciences, and of " The Club,"
already described. He was invited to become a mem-
ber of a social dining club, with Agassiz, Gray, Bache,
Gould, and others, but the project seems to have fallen
through. In national politics he was deeply interested,
and in all the controversies that preceded the Civil War
he was strongly devoted to the cause of the Union, but
never a participant in public meetings. In his prime he
attended the meetings of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science, at New Haven, Albany,
Washington, for example, and took part in the proceed-
ings; and for a while, until failing health prevented, he
was a participant in the meetings of the National Academy
of Science.
To the foregoing delineations, which are drawn by one
who knew Professor Dana only in his later life, will be
added a vivid sketch of a previous date. This was writ-
ten in 1850, and gives the impression of his appearance
among scientific men when he was not quite forty years
old. The writer is Professor Joseph Le Conte, of the
University of California.
" The first meeting of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science that I ever attended was the
New Haven meeting in 1850. Professor Dana read a
short paper on ' The Analogy, in Reproduction, between
the Hydroids and Plants,' showing how the nutritive
individuals and the reproductive individuals of the one
28S
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
correspond to the leaf-individuals and flower-individuals of.
the other. His slender, erect form, his sharp, clear-cut
features and penetrating eyes, his eager face and noble
head crowned with abundant and somewhat dishevelled
hair, and, above all, the combination of. philosophic
thought and poetic imagination embodied in the paper,
made an indelible impression on me — an impression which
has only deepened with time. The leaders in American
science, at that time, were such men as Agassiz, Pierce,
Henry, Bache, William and Henry Rogers, Gray, and
Hall — surely as brilliant a constellation of first-magnitude
stars as any since that time. Among such men, Dana,
although only thirty-seven years old, was a prominent
figure, for had he not already published his great work
on mineralogy and his researches on the zoophytes, Crus-
tacea, and the geology of the United States Exploring
Expedition ? "
Not long before his marriage Dana thus reviewed the
steps of his career in one of the confidential and affection-
ate letters which from time to time he addressed to his
mother * :
" Leaving college, my wish to visit the Mediterranean
was at once gratified, and soon after I returned the place
with Professor Silliman, for which I had long before
applied, was open for me. The year then had hardly
finished when I received my appointment in the expedi-
tion, and now I have returned again after a cruise of un-
usual dangers, in the course of which, at least seven or
eight times, death seemed to stare us in the face, and all
are alive and in health that I left behind. I might go on
and speak of other sources of happiness since my return ;
but you know all. Surely my cup of mercies has been
full to overflowing. How few of my playmates at school
can now look back upon such constant prosperity ! May
these mercies prove a blessing and not a curse ; may they
direct my heart upward to the Author of every good and
perfect gift, and lead to a more complete conversion of
all my powers and energies to Him who in the events of
His providence and grace has so loved us."
* Washington, January 2, 1843,
286
PROLONGED ILL-HEALTH
CONTINUOUS ILL-HEALTH
Dana's intellectual activity, continued beyond the four-
score limit, is the more remarkable when his continued
ill-health is borne in mind.
In the early autumn of 1859 (as was stated in the ninth
chapter), he broke down and went abroad in order to re-
cruit his health. Here is his own note of his first breaking
down:
"Editorial duties connected with the Journal of Science ,
and college duties during the spring and summer of 1859,
in addition to the writing of mineralogical and three
other articles for the Journal of Science, and some essay-
writing for the New Englander, and also the preparation
of a Manual of Geology, besides work on the scientific
department of Webster' s Dictionary, led to a breakdown
in July of that year, the difficulty being an overworked
and tired head. Unable to work, or even to engage
in conversation without unnatural fatigue of head, in
October I left for Europe with my wife. I visited
France, Italy, and Switzerland, and in August, i860, re-
turned, having gained but little, and that little mainly
among the glaciers of the Alps. The rest of i860, and
all of 1861, was spent doing nothing — hopeful and cheer-
ful, as I had ever been, and seeing some small progress
towards health with the passing months."
He was absent ten months and came back somewhat
improved.
A few years later, in December, 1862, he wrote to Dar-
win: " I have worked to great disadvantage, from one to
three hours a day, and often not at all. I am now re-
suming my duties in the University, but an hour's inter-
course with the students in the lecture-room is a day's
work for me." Some years afterwards, in 1869, he broke
down again, and Professor Marsh read his lectures to
the senior class. Then followed a severe fever, from
which he slowly recovered. In 1874, he was again
287
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
disabled for a time by a heavy cold. He recovered suffi-
ciently for duty in the summer term. In 1880, he was
once more obliged by his health to seek release from his
college duties. In 1890, after working hard on a new
edition of the Geology, he gave up college work, and
never resumed it. These are the crises in his indisposi-
tion — but the weary monotony of fatigue cannot thus be
defined.
Here is a letter from Mrs. Dana to a naturalist who
was breaking down from overwork — Professor S. F.
Baird. It was written in January, 1874, before Mr. Baird
had performed his greatest services to the National
Museum and the Smithsonian Institution. It is here
printed for the hints it may give to other tired workers
with the brain.
" I was truly sorry to learn from your note that you
were feeling poorly again, and only wish it were possible
to talk with you of the various points mentioned in your
letter. In retracing the experience of almost fourteen
years in the invalid condition of my husband, it is by no
means easy to catch the marked epochs. There have
been during those years very great variations of condition,
and perhaps my abiding impression is of great incredulity
in the judgment of doctors. No medical treatment has
ever been of any avail, and I think Mr. Dana would sum
up his case in a few words. He would say, — stop at once
when you feel you are doing too much, and always alter-
nate large measure of field work, in the hills or the woods,
with labor in the study.
" He thinks his first anxious indication was a sensation
of soreness — rawness, as he calls it — internally on the
top of the head, which made all mental activity, even
conversation, a trial, and persistence in it, distressing. I
do not think he has ever suffered from pain ; but more
from a sense of weariness like that which impels you to
lay down your head, and yet without finding complete
rest. There was for a time some difficulty in sleeping,
but it did not continue long, nor is it common now. He
finds great comfort in the use of a sponge with cold water
288
WARNINGS FROM DARWIN AND AGASSIZ
on the brow if he does not incline at once to sleep, and
a foot-bath with hot or cold water, as the state of the
system requires, is a common resource, and it seldom fails
to quiet him.
" After a year or two he was conscious of discomfort
in the cerebellum when he had done too much, and to
this day that note of warning can never be disregarded.
When he has had most of that trouble, he has found
benefit from chopping wood as a form of exercise, it
tending to draw off the circulation from the cerebellum.
He has never been quite sound since the summer of 1859,
and we have long since ceased to expect it, and learned
to be thankful if, day by day, he was able to do the
essential duty that it brought. Two or three hours a
day are his usual limits of work, and there have been
many periods when, for months at a time, he could do
literally nothing. Now he does nothing in the evening,
nothing at all in the way of society even in the most
quiet way. ' '
It is remarkable that two other contemporary natural-
ists, who were themselves overcome by work, kept
preaching to Dana the sermons that he might have ad-
dressed to them. Agassiz broke down in the middle of
his career — although he recovered his vigor and retained
it until a short time before his death. Darwin also was a
frequent sufferer during the latter part of his life. The
warnings of these two men to their indefatigable brother
against " overwork " would be amusing if they were not
pathetic. Their letters are given beyond.
The consideration of Dana's colleagues in the faculty
is illustrated by this letter :
FROM PROFESSOR T. A. THACHER
" New Haven, February 23, 1869.
" Yours of the 20th came to hand yesterday. I had
not heard of or suspected the nature of your illness and
I hope that all the threatening symptoms may pass away,
as I have known them to do partially or entirely, in one
19 289
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
or two of the few cases which have come under my notice.
But let me urge you to give up your recitations in geol-
ogy. You may be very sure that no one of your col-
leagues will think that you do it for any insufficient
reason — and even if they did, your own conviction that
the restoration of your health requires it ought, in my
judgment, to give you perfect quietness in passing the
class over to Professor Marsh. I rejoice that you are so
cheerful while the outworks of your citadel appear to be
so seriously threatened. But the interior defences are
impregnable. Indeed, I think that if you will resolutely
deny yourself all head-work, so far as that is possible to
you, and keep your brain cool in the open air, in spite of
all temptations to the false ideas of being faithful to the
college, the enemy may yet retire and leave you intact.
I wish, my dear friend, that I could contribute to so good
and useful a result."
Here ends the story of a consecrated life, — a life con-
secrated to the study of nature and the discovery of her
laws. The closest scrutiny of every period has revealed
no traces of selfishness, no neglect of opportunities, no
unworthy motives. From beginning to end, the man of
science has been devoted to the search for exact know-
ledge, the recognition of laws, and the promulgation of
the truths thus ascertained. This all, on a broad field.
From first to last, this life has exemplified the words of
the Psalmist,
The works of the lord are great :
Sought out of all them that have pleasure
THEREIN.
290
PART II
SCIENTIFIC CORRESPONDENCE
Exchange of Letters with Gray, Darwin, Agassiz, Guyot,
Geikie, and Others
291
SCIENTIFIC CORRESPONDENCE
IN the following pages a considerable number of letters will
be brought together, partly as illustrations of Dana's activity
interesting to those who knew him and who will willingly trace
from year to year the progress of his studies; partly as indica-
tions of the difficulties encountered by a scientific man of the
last generation, and of the way in which they were met.
I shall first give the letters of Gray, Darwin, Agassiz, Guyot,
and Geikie, for the correspondence with these men ran over a
long term of years ; and afterwards a few letters will be added
from occasional correspondents.
CORRESPONDENCE WITH DR. ASA GRAY
His prolonged intimacy with the illustrious botanist of
Cambridge was one of the greatest intellectual pleasures
of Dana's life. They were kindred natures devoted to
kindred studies. Gray was but three years the senior, —
and in early life this may have given him a slight degree
of authority. Subsequently there was nothing but reci-
procity. The reader has already learned that it was he
who persuaded Dana to go on the expedition, and after
its return his advice in matters pertaining to the publica-
tion of the reports was of the greatest value. He had
incisive ways of expressing his opinions, clear judgment,
and abundant knowledge, so that he was a most excellent
counsellor. Besides, he was a professor in Harvard,
an active member of the American Academy, and a
293
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
contributor to the North American Review , circumstances
that gave him influence with Mr. Webster, Mr. Everett,
and other public men of Massachusetts, whose support it
was important to enlist. The correspondence of the two
naturalists respecting the vexatious delays and interfer-
ences on the part of the authorities in Washington was
prolonged, though it does not seem worth while to
repeat in these pages the details of a controversy which
has long since passed out of mind.
After Darwin's Origin of Species appeared, Gray was
engaged in the confidential exchange of opinions with
Dana. Until his last days he was a constant and highly
valued contributor to the Journal of Science. Some of
Gray's letters have appeared in the volume of correspond-
ence edited by his wife ; but their reproduction here will
serve to throw light on the acceptance and modification
of Darwin's views. Dana's letters on these points will be
fully given.
DANA TO ASA GRAY
Analogies of Plant Life and Animal Life
" New Haven, February 17, 1848.
" I am always glad of your criticisms, as I seek only
truth, and I feel the more attached to one who will help
me to avoid error. In this case I think you do not fully
understand me. I do not mean to imply that there is an
identity of forces in kind and action in the animate and
inanimate kingdoms. This is far from my belief; I
merely state that a common law as regards the force
operates in both kingdoms. This is the law of interval
or size, that is, that successive reproductions are separated
by intervals, usually regular (circumstances the same);
these intervals are intervals of comparative rest and
gradual growth, and are often intervals in size as well as
time. A length of interval may, therefore, be a fixed
quantity {cet. par.'). For example, a certain size is neces-
sary for the production of a bud, and a certain interval of
294
CORRESPONDENCE WITH DR. GRAY
growth, that is, of size for another bud. In the little alga,
in my zoophyte chapter, sporules form only at a fixed
interval or distance from the extremity. In a branching
zoophyte, branches form at a fixed distance from the apex,
and at successive intervals, which intervals, cet.par., are
fixed in amount. It is the same in principle if the buds
form serrately at apex. There is something which deter-
mines these limits of distances; and, in the case of the
alga and others, it is good philosophy to say that the
process of growth at the apex will not allow {cet. par.) of
sporules forming within the specific distance. The
chemical forces required for growth at apex do not admit
of that different action of forces producing sporules within
the specific distance. The fact that size is a fundamental
element, as much as in a galvanic battery, and no doubt
for analogous reasons, is well shown in a brief article from
Van Beneden in the Journal just coming out. The
Campanularice, Ascidice, and other species that bud and
form compound groups, grow to some considerable size
by budding before ova are produced. The young animal
produces a succession of buds or polyps, and after the
dendroid group has reached a certain size, then it pro-
duces gemmules which give out a free young animal, of
peculiar shape (different from the polyps), and this young
animal produces ova. The ova again must go through
the same process. You observe the analogy to vegetation,
in which a series of buds usually forms and the plant thus
attains considerable size before a flower (an individual of
very different external form from the ordinary buds) is
produced, with the developing ovules. Steenstrup has
published a large work, which you have probably seen,
on Alternating Generations, — all the facts of which
amount to nothing more, essentially, than what is com-
mon in vegetable life. Size, and size or length of inter-
val, must, therefore, be an important element in a [life]
of organic growth. This is the main point in my last
article.
" Professor Henry, one evening at Washington, stated
to me that he considered the forces in animate nature
chemical forces ; but that there was a directrix (virtually)
behind all, modifying or governing the results. He com-
pared it to a steam-engine, whose forces within were
directed in their operation by the engineer. This is the
295
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
view I have held, or favored, of late. In a chemical point
of view, the germ requires a condition of chemical forces
more unusual or of a higher character than any other part
of an organism, for the product is in part those chemical
compounds which are highest in the ascending scale — the
highest of the protein compounds — and it is a just conclu-
sion that the formations, or chemical processes, attending
growth in different parts of a plant should exert some
mutual influence, and require some definite size in the
organism, or some distance of interval. But I will stop,
as it is a difficult subject to write upon offhand. I in-
tend to put something together for the Journal, or per-
haps for the next Association at Philadelphia. I fear
now I have not given above my views as they are (or as
they will be, for I wish to give the subject a long think-
ing). Any views from you on the subject would be most
acceptable."
On a Possible Call to Harvard
DANA TO ASA GRAY
" New Haven, April 28, 1848.
" You are very kind in the interest you express in my
joining the Cambridge corps. This question was sug-
gested to me when at the Geological Association last fall,
by Gould and afterwards by Agassiz, and it was highly
gratifying to find such friendly feelings in those I so
much esteem, especially as the honor was beyond my ex-
pectations. I told them that such a situation would be
most agreeable to me, for its own sake, and still more
for the society of science at Boston and its vicinity into
which I should be admitted. Returning to New Haven
I kept this matter to myself until near midwinter, when
a word from Gould led me to think it might become a
serious proposition. It seemed wrong for me to indulge
such an idea longer without mentioning it to those with
whom I am so intimately connected here, for you know
that many ties unite us. It was strongly opposed, as
was natural, and the hope of a position here was held
out. My affections and early associations are with New
Haven and Yale, and you will not think it strange that
296
CORRESPONDENCE WITH DR. GRAY
this place should still be my preference — a feeling much
strengthened by my dread of public life, especially in a
strange place. But I have felt it very doubtful whether
anything towards a professorship here could be accom-
plished, as there are no funds here, and no source to look
to for funds, as far as now appears. I have therefore
replied that while I would not refuse a position here
properly endowed, and would be much pleased to con-
tinue in my old associations at this place, I could not,
without a certainty in prospect, set aside overtures from
Cambridge, where there is so much that is agreeable and
honorable, and all is so full of hope. Thus the matter
stands. I know you will fully appreciate the conflict in
my own mind. I have been much afraid that my appoint-
ment to a Cambridge professorship would produce ulti-
mate disappointment should it take place, because, as I
am frank to confess, I am no public speaker, and should
be dependent on written lectures altogether. This would
be a much less difficulty here, where I am better known.
I have written frankly my feelings on this subject, for
your own eyes alone, the purport of which you can state
to ' that other friend,' and to Agassiz, if it be not he."
DANA TO ASA GRAY
" New Haven, July I2, 1848.
" In my last long letter to you I mentioned frankly the
state of my feelings as regards Harvard and Yale, and
announced that I had promised Silliman not to refuse a
well-founded professorship at this place if offered me. I
have had little expectation that anything would be done,
and this little has recently been on the rapid decrease,
and I have daily looked for a word that would decide
the matter Harvard-wise. But yesterday there was a
most unexpected offer of so generous a character that I
could not decline it, and therefore here I am and am to
be. I know that I need make no apologies under the
circumstances for drawing off from my partial engagement
to good friends at Cambridge and Boston, nor are re-
newed assurances needed to satisfy them of my warm
attachment and gratitude. Will you kindly explain to
them ?"
297
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
On the Origin of Species
ASA GRAY TO DANA
" Cambridge, December 13, 1856.
" The right way of bringing a series of pretty interest-
ing general questions towards settlement is perhaps in
hand (though I do not expect myself to bring anything
important to bear upon it), namely, for a number of totally
independent naturalists, of widely different pursuits and
antecedents, to environ it on all sides, work towards a
common centre, but each to work independently. Such
men as Darwin, Dr. Hooker, De CandoUe, Agassiz, and
yourself— most of them with no theory they are bound
to support — ought only to bring out some good results.
And the less each one is influenced by the others' mode
of viewing things the better. For my part, in respect to
the bearings of the distribution of plants, etc., I am de-
termined to know no theory, but to see what the facts
tend to show, when fairly treated.
" On the subject of species, their nature, distribution,
what system in natural history is, etc., certain inferences
are slowly settling themselves in my mind, or taking
shape; but on some of the most vexed questions I have
as yet no opinion whatever, and no very strong bias,
thanks, partly, to the fact that I can think of and investi-
gate such matters only now and then, and in a very
desultory way.
" I cannot say that I believe in centres of radiation for
groups of species. From Darwin's questions to me I
think I perceive some of the grounds on which he would
maintain it. One is alluded to on page "]"] of the January
number [of Silliman's Journal'], but I am not clear that
they are not just as susceptible of other interpretation.
" But as to a centre of radiation of each separate species,
I must say that I have a bias that way. You seem to have
also, and you can best judge whether this, combined with
geological considerations, would not involve centres of
radiation for groups of species as well, to a certain extent.
Would not the fact that the members of peculiar groups
(in Vegetable Kingdom) are to a great extent localized
favor that view ?
298
CORRESPONDENCE WITH DR. GRAY
" I am glad to hear that your idea of the unity of the
human species is confirmed more and more. The evi-
dence seems to me most strongly to favor it. And you
will discriminate the separate questions of unity of birth-
place and unity of parentage.
" As to the physical question, surely you do not sup-
pose that, in a fresh race, the one or two necessary close
intermarriages would sensibly deteriorate the stock!
Look at domestic animals of peculiar races, — how long
can you breed in and in without much abatement of
health or vigor !
" Did you ever consider the question of the cause of
deterioration from interbreeding ?
" I think I have somewhere in the journal stated my
notion about it, or hinted at it. If not, I will some day ;
for I have a pretty decided opinion about it: that heredi-
tary transmission of individual peculiarities involves also,
among them, the transmission of disease, or tendency to
disease, — a constantly increasing heritage of liability as
interbreeding goes on ; in plants well exemplified by
maladies affecting old cultivated varieties long propagated
by division."
ASA GRAY TO DANA
" Cambridge, November 7, 1857.
" If you have plenty, please send me two copies of
your Thoughts on Species. I first read it carefully a week
ago, and I meant to write you at once how I like it, and
a few remarks, but something prevented at the time, and
I have been very busy and preoccupied ever since.
' ' For the reason that I like the general doctrine, and
wish to see it established, so much the more I am bound
to try all the steps of the reasoning, and all the facts it
rests on, impartially, and even to suggest all the adverse
criticism I can think of. When I read the pamphlet I
jotted down on the margin some notes of what struck me
at the time. I will glance at them again and see if, on
reflection, they appear likely to be of the least use to
you, and if so will send them, taking it for granted that
you rather like to be criticised, as I am sure I do, when
the object is the surer establishment of the truth.
299
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
" In your idea of species as specific amount or kind of
concentrated force, you fall back upon the broadest and
most fundamental views, and develop it, it seems to me,
with great ability and cogency.
" Taking the cue of species, if I may so say, from the
inorganic, you develop the subject to great advantage
from your view, and all you say must have great weight,
in ' reasoning from the general.' But in reasoning from
inorganic species to organic species, and making it tell
where you want it and for what you want it to tell, you
must be sure that you are using the word ' species ' in
the same sense in the two, that the one is really an
equivalent of the other. That is what I am not convinced
of. And so to me the argument comes only with the
force of an analogy, whereas I suppose you want it to
come as demonstration. Very likely you could convince
me that there is no fallacy in reasoning from the one to
the other to the extent you do. But all my experience
makes me cautious and slow about building too much
upon analogies; and until I see further and clearer I
must continue to think that there is an essential difference
between kinds of animals or plants and kinds of matter.
How far we may safely reason from the one to the other
is the question. If we may go so even as far as you go,
might not Agassiz (at least plausibly) say that, as the
species Iron was created in a vast number of individuals
over the whole earth, so the presumption is that any
given species of plants or animals was originated in as
many individuals as there are now, and over as wide an
area, the human species under as great diversities as it
now has (barring historical intermixture) ? — so reducing the
question between you to insignificance, because then the
question whether men are of one or of several species would
no longer be a question of fact, or of much consequence.
" You can answer him from another starting-point, no
doubt ; but he may still insist that it is a legitimate carry-
ing out of your own principle.
" The tendency of my mind is opposed to this sort of
view ; but you may be sure that before long there must
be one or more resurrections of the development theory
in a new form, obviating many of the arguments against
it, and presenting a more respectable and more formidable
appearance than it ever has before. . .
300
CORRESPONDENCE WITH DR. GRAY
" I wanted to say something on the last two pages, but
as I have nothing in particular to except to, and much to
approve, and as it is late bedtime, I spare you further
comments.
I set out to find flaws, as likely to be more suggestive
and therefore far more useful to you than any amount of
praise, with which I could fill page after page."
ASA GRAY TO DANA
"June 22, 1872.
I fancy you have got hold of a good topic for your
handling, and have a promising inquiry before you, in
co-ordinating cephalization and natural selection as
operative on the nervous system of animals. I expect
you to get something interesting out of it.
" But every now and then something you write makes
me doubt if you quite get hold just right of Darwinian
natural selection. What you still say about struggle not
applicable to plants makes me think so.
" Suppose the term be a personification, as, no doubt,
strictly it is. One so fond as you are of personification
and good general expressions ought not to object to what
seems to me a happy term.
" Speaking from general memory, I should say that the
term as used to express what we mean, was introduced
by the elder De Candolle, and applied in what I thought
a happy way to the vegetable kingdom. I cannot drop
it because you say there is no struggle where there is no
will ; perhaps you mean without consciousness, and then
the field of struggle will be much limited. But call the
action what you please, — competition (that is open to the
same objections), collision, or what not, — it is just what
I should think Darwin was driving at. Read Origin (4th
ed.), pp. 72, 73, and so on, through the chapter, especially
pp. 81-86.
" This is enough to show you that when you speak of
Darwinian ' struggle ' as occurring only ' when the facul-
ties of an animal are called into requisition,' you take
too limited a view of what Darwin means.
" For my part, I should say that the faculties of the
lowest animals and the faculties of plants were equally
301
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
called into requisition in the case, in a manner so parallel
that there is no drawing any but a purely arbitrary dis-
tinction between the one and the other.
" I conceive one as effective as the other as regards
the leading on and fixing variation. When I say now
again that the expression ' fitted by its regional develop-
ment to the region ' conveys no clear meaning to me, I
am only telling you, as I did before, my way of looking
at things, not finding fault with yours.
By the way: ' variation (inherent) in particular direc-
tions ' is your idea and mine, but is very anti-Darwin."
ASA GRAY TO DANA
" Cambridge, May 20, 1886.
" I find little time to read anything now out of my
regular trodden course. But having to lie by a few
hours, I took up your memoir of dear Guyot, and have
read it with much gratification. You have very much in
common with Guyot in thought and ways of viewing,
and so you are just the person to pay this well-deserved
tribute. For myself, I begin at length to be old — to find
that I cannot do much except just when in the best
physical condition. Just then I forget my age. But
this expelling of nature (the inevitable) with a fork,
does not keep it off for long." *
II
CORRESPONDENCE WITH CHARLES DARWIN
The names of Darwin and Dana will always be asso-
ciated, — partly because they had like opportunities in the
exploration of the Pacific, partly because their studies in-
cluded the broad aspects of geology and zoology, and
perhaps still more because they were independent inves-
tigators of the origin and growth of coral islands. Each
fitted himself for generalizations by careful and prolonged
studies, the one of the barnacles, and the other of the
Crustacea and zoophytes.
* Dr. Gray died January 30, 1888.
303
CORRESPONDENCE WITH CHARLES DARWIN
They never met, but their correspondence, which was
opened by Darwin in 1849, continued until 1872, and
possibly longer. Not all their letters have been pre-
served, but those which have been recovered are of so
much interest to naturalists, because of the eminence of
the writers, that long citations will be given.
The voyage of the Beagle gave Darwin his opportunity.
It was begun, under Fitzroy, in December, 1831, for the
purpose of surveying the shores of Chili and Peru and of
some islands in the Pacific, and to carry a chain of chron-
ometrical measures around the world. Fitzroy offered
part of his own cabin to any young man who would
volunteer to go, without pay, as naturalist. Darwin was
eager to go, but his father objected to the son's accept-
ance, and Fitzroy's offer was refused. An uncle ad-
vised the young man to go, and finally the father
consented.
In October, 1836, the Beagle returned to Falmouth.
In the following May, Darwin gave to the Geological
Society his views respecting the formation of the three
great classes of coral reefs, atolls, barrier and fringing
reefs, and these views were afterwards developed in a
separate volume on the Structure and Distribution of
Coral Reefs, published in 1842. Dana's knowledge of
Darwin's study was accidental, as will be apparent from
the story as it is told by the friend of both. Professor
Judd, in a recent edition of Darwin's Coral Reefs.
As a key to many of the allusions in this correspond-
ence, two extracts from the Life and Letters of Charles
Darwin are here inserted.
He says of himself:
" In October, 1846, I began to work on Cirripedia.
When on the coast of Chili, I found a most curious form,
which burrowed into the shell of concholepas, and which
differed so much from all other cirripedes that I had to
303
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
form a new suborder for its sole reception. Lately an
allied burrowing genus has been found on the shores of
Portugal. To understand the structure of my new cirri-
pede I had to examine and dissect many of the common
forms, and this gradually led me on to take up the whole
group. I worked steadily on this subject for the next
eight years, and ultimately published two thick volumes,
describing all the known living species. I do not doubt
but that Sir E. Lytton Bulwer had me in his mind when
he introduced in one of his novels a Professor Long, who
had written two huge volumes on limpets.
" Although I was employed during eight years on this
work, yet I record in my diary that about two years out
of this time was lost by illness."
In September, 1854, his Cirripedia work was practically
finished, and he wrote to Sir J. Hooker:
" I have been frittering away my time for the last
several weeks in a wearisome manner, partly idleness, and
odds and ends, and sending ten thousand barnacles out
of the house all over the world. But I shall now in a day
or two begin to look over my old notes on species.
What a deal I shall have to discuss with you ! I shall
have to look sharp that I do not ' progress ' into one of
the greatest bores in life, to the few, like you, with lots
of knowledge." *
DARWIN TO DANA
Opening the Correspondence
"Down, Farnborough, Kent, Aug. 12, 1849.
" I hope that you will forgive the liberty I take in ad-
dressing you, but having been in correspondence with
Dr. A. Gould, he has advised me to write to you on my
present occupation, in order to beg, if it lies in your
power, assistance. I have been for many months, and
shall for a year or two longer (for my poor health allows
me to work but an hour or two daily) be employed on an
anatomical and systematic monograph on the Cirripedia.
* Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, vol, i., p. 395.
304
CORRESPONDENCE WITH CHARLES DARWIN
I have the use of Mr. Cuming's, Mr. Strickland's, Mr.
Sowerby's, British Museum, and Jardin des Plantes collec-
tions, all placed at my disposal, and many other private
collections.
" It is my earnest wish to make my monograph as per-
fect as I can. Can you lend me any species collected
during your great expedition ? They would be most
valuable to me whether named or not, for I describe the
animal of every species and disarticulate the shells. If
you would pay me so great a compliment as to entrust
any specimens to my care, I would pledge myself to re-
turn them carefully to you. Even well-known species
are very interesting to me, if localities are given accu-
rately. I am bound to state that I require to separate the
valves of one specimen of every species, but I preserve
them pasted on board. Characters, I find, drawn solely
from the outside are quite valueless, and the systematic
condition of the Cirripedia is one of chaos. I find that
by soaking I can examine the animal pretty well in dried
specimens. I believe it is generally admitted that the
Cirripedia have been much neglected, and I hope that
my work may be of some small service. If you can and
are willing to assist me, I shall feel truly grateful. I
trust that our common pursuits and attachment to the
good cause of natural history will excuse my thus
writing to you."
DARWIN TO DANA
On the Cirripedia
"Down, Farnborough, Kent, Oct. 8, 1849.
" I am sincerely obliged to you for your very kind let-
ter and the information sent. I am sure from what you
say that had it been in your power you would have as-
sisted me with specimens. I was not aware that you had
attended to the Cirripedia, otherwise I would have had
greater scruple in applying to you. Yours was indeed a
grand voyage, and your range of research a wide one. I
have always felt much interested in regard to your classi-
fication, etc., of the corals. I dissected enough to see
what a generous field there was open. Indeed, I had in-
tended working on the subject, but my miserable health
20 305
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
for the last ten years (which has lost me much more than
half my time) has interrupted all my former hopes and
designs. You cannot imagine how much gratified I have
been that you have to a certain extent agreed with my
coral island notions. To return to the Cirripedia. I am
allowed to work only two hours daily (after five months'
doing nothing), so that it will be long before I publish.
The Cirripedia are, moreover, very troublesome from
their great variability, and the necessity of examining the
whole animal and [the] inside and outside of shell. Pos-
sibly you may publish your specimens before my mono-
graph. In that case would it be possible for me to see
any duplicates, or in no case must [they] be sent out of
the country ? Your spirillus sounds very curious. I
would really like to know whether it is absolutely loose
and unattached amongst the seaweed.
" I am particularly obliged to you for pointing out to
me your notice on the metamorphosis of the Cirripedia
in Silliman's Journal, for I should have overlooked it.
You have to a certain extent forestalled me, though we
do not take the same view in the homologies of the parts.
I have, I think, worked out the anatomy of the larva in
considerable detail, and I hope correctly. I have seen
Dr. Leidy's eyes in several genera; indeed, I have seen
and noted them as ' like eyes ' before reading his paper;
but I do not suppose that I should have followed out
what I had seen had it not been for Dr. Leidy; for
these organs are very minute and rudimentary,"
DARWIN TO DANA
On Coral Reef s
"Down, Farnborough, Kent, Dec. 5, 1849.
" I have not for some years been so much pleased as I
have just been by reading your most able discussion on
coral reefs. I thank you most sincerely for the very
honorable mention you make of me. ... I have
read about half through the descriptive part of the Vol-
canic Geology (last night I ascended the peaks of Tahiti
with you, and what I saw in my short excursion was most
vividly brought before me by your descriptions), and have
306
CORRESPONDENCE WITH CHARLES DARWIN
been most deeply interested by it. Your observations
on the Sandwich craters strike me as the most important
and original of any that I have read for a long time.
Now that I have read yours; I believe I saw at the Gala-
pagos, at a distance, instances of those most curious
fissures of eruption. There are many points of resem-
blance between the Galapagos and Sandwich Islands
(even to the shape of the mound-like hills), viz. : in the
liquidity of the lavas, absence of scoriae, and tuff-craters.
Many of your scattered remarks on denudation have
particularly interested me ; but I see that you attribute
less to sea and more to running water than I have been
accustomed to do. After your remarks in your last kind
letter, I could not help skipping on to the Australian
valleys, on which your remarks strike me as exceedingly
ingenious and novel, but they have not converted me. I
cannot conceive how the great lateral bays could have
been scooped out and their sides rendered precipitous by
running water. I shall go on and read every word of
your excellent volume.
" What an unfortunately short time you were permitted
to stay in many places, yet how much you managed to
see!"
DARWIN TO DANA
The Cirripedia Again : Blind Fauna of the Kentucky
Caves
"Down, Farnborough, Kent, May 8, 1852.
" Your letter has given me much pleasure, more than
you would anticipate, and more, perhaps, than it ought to
do, though I put down part of what you say to the kind-
ness of disposition which I have observed in your
memoirs and in your letters to me. I have had a short
letter from Muller of Berlin, expressing interest in my
book, and now, with what you have said, I feel highly
satisfied, and can go on with my work with a good heart.
You will perhaps be surprised at all this, but I think
every one wants sympathy in their pursuits, and I live a
very retired life in the country, and for months together
gee no one out of my own large family. With respect to
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
what you say on the homologies of the larva in the first
stage, I confess to have gone through more doubt than
on any other part. For some time I thought the three
pairs of legs corresponded with the mandibles, the inner
and outer maxillae, for I must still believe in there being
(potentially) two pairs of antennae in the earliest stage ;
but the description of the larva in the second stage by
(whose paper, by the way, is dreadfully incor-
rect), and the somewhat varying position of the mouth
in the first stage, lead me to the view I have taken. I
hope that whenever you have an opportunity you will
attend to the adhesion of the LerneidcB. The method of
attachment which I have described is certainly the great
character of the class of Cirripedia. I thank you very
much for your wish for me to have the Cirripedia of the
expedition, but I know well how impossible it is. Your
information on the corals has been most useful. . . .
' ' I am most vexed at the little wooden pill-box with
the crustacean being lost. I put it in the parcel myself.
I suppose the parcel must have been opened at your Cus-
tom-House, and so the little box lost. I have got Ballifere
to write to New York to inquire. I had hoped that this
would have turned out of some interest to you. I have
lately been reading the volumes for the last dozen years
of Silliman's Journal vf'ith great interest. What a curious
account is that, by Mr. Silliman, on the blind fauna of
the caves ! * I feel extremely interested in the subject,
having for many years collected facts on variation, etc.
Would it be possible to procure one of the rats for
the British Museum ? I should so like my friend Mr.
Waterhouse, to examine the teeth and see whether it is
an old- or new-world form. If you could oblige the
naturalists on this side of the water by getting so interest-
ing a specimen, would you send it to me to give to Water-
house ? for (privately, between ourselves) it would be of
little use to real science if once in the hands of Mr. ;
but very likely I am asking for an impossibility ; the rats
may be very rare. It is not stated whether the optic
nerve was dissected out, which would be a curious point.
I read over again in the Journal several of your papers.
If I [had] had space I should like to have fought a
* See the American Journal of Science, Second Series, vol. xi., p. 332 ;
B. Silliman, Jr., to A. Guyot.
308
CORRESPONDENCE WITH CHARLES DARWIN
friendly battle with you on the Australian valleys. I
see I have not stated my side versus fresh water in nearly
enough detail. Did you not observe the great high
plains forming peninsulas running laterally into the
valleys (and I expect almost truly insulated masses) ?
These seem to me to be very improbable on the running-
water theory. Again, as far as I saw, and as appears on
maps, the line of drainage never seems to be at foot of
precipices on either side, and it appears to me that this
might be expected to occur here and there if the valleys
were still in process of excavation. But I had no inten-
tion to discuss this subject when I began, or to trouble
you with so very long a letter."
DARWIN TO DANA
Volcanoes
" Down, Farnborough, Kent, Sept. g, 1852.
" I make most snail-like progress in whatever I do. I
should think more thought passed through your head,
and words from your pen, in one day, than in ten through
mine. My weak health is partly my excuse. In the
spring I saw Abich, who has just returned from the Cau-
casus, where he has been studying, inter alia, the extinct
volcanoes ; and he told Sir C. Lyell that there were many
points he was never able to understand until reading
your admirable chapters on the Sandwich Islands. I
sincerely hope that you are well, and that your multi-
farious and valuable labors are all prospering successfully."
DARWIN TO DANA
Dana s " Crustacea "
"Down, Farnborough, Kent, Nov. 25, 1852.
" I shall read with interest your geographical discus-
sion in Mr. Lubbock's copy when he can purchase it.
You ask whether I shall ever come to the United States.
I can assure you that no tour whatever could be half so
interesting to me, but with my large family I do not sup-
pose that I shall ever leave home. It would be a real
pleasure to me to make your personal acquaintance."
309
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
DARWIN TO DANA
" Down, Bromley, Kent, Sept. 27, 1853.
" Pray forgive me troubling you, but my neighbor,
Mr. J. Lubbock, has got your work on Crustacea (as yet
without the plates), and has lent it to me for a fortnight
to look over, and I have experienced such great interest
in many parts, and have found it so suggestive towards
my Cirripedia work, that I cannot resist expressing my
thanks and admiration. The geographical discussion
struck me as eminently good. The size of the work,
and the necessary labor bestowed on it, are really surpris-
ing. Why, if you had done nothing else whatever, it
would have been a magnum opus for life. Forgive my
presuming to estimate your labors, but when I think that
this work has followed your Corals and your Geology, I
am really lost in astonishment at what you have done in
mental labor. And then, besides the labor, so much
originality in all your works! I only hope that your
health has withstood such labor. It frightens me to
think of it. You will have seen my friend and neighbor,
Mr. Lubbock, has been working a little on the lower
Crustacea. He is a remarkably nice young man, only a
little above eighteen years old. If you can ever give him
a little encouragement it would really be a good service,
for he has great zeal, and for one so young, I should hope,
has done well ; and if he can resist his future career of
great wealth, business, and rank, may do good work in
natural history. I hope myself to go to press in a
month's time with my last volume on the Cirripedia. I
have got thirty plates engraved, and shall be very glad to
have finished it."
DARWIN TO DANA
Caution against Overwork
" Down, Farnborough, Kent, June 15, 1857.
" I thank you much for your note of the 13th of May,
and the tracings of the curious Bopyrid.
" Considering how overwhelmed you are with work, I
am quite sorry that you should have had this trouble. I
have always been utterly astonished at the amount of
310
CORRESPONDENCE WITH CHARLES DARWIN
work which you have done, and allow me to add that
I have been frightened at it. I do not believe any head
can long withstand such work; reflect sometimes how
much you will do if you can keep ten years of good
health. I know to my cost what ill-health is, — may you
never have my experience. ' '
DANA TO DARWIN
On the Origin of Species
" New Haven, Dec. 4, 1862.
" A year and a half ago I partially completed a letter
to you in reply to your kind words which greeted me
soon after my arrival in the country. I have been de-
laying ever since then, against my inclination, with the
hope of being able soon to report that I was in a condi-
tion to read your work. Many long months, and now
even years, have passed by, and still your book, .the
Origin, remains unopened. You see that I have been
gaining and doing some work in the Geological Manual,
which I trust will have reached you before you have the
reading of this note. But I have worked to great disad-
vantage, one to three hours a day, and often none at all,
and thus have gradually pushed through the labor to the
end. I am now resuming my duties in the University.
But one hour's intercourse with the students in the
lecture-room is a day's work for me. Thus you will yet
pardon my seeming neglect of your work. In my Geology
I had a chapter partly prepared on the question whether
the organization of species was a subject within the range
of dynamical geology, — taking sides, I confess, against
you ; but I omitted it entirely because I could not study
up the subject to the extent that was necessary to do it
justice. I have, however, expressed an opinion on this
point in the Geology ; and this you will excuse, for my
persuasions are so strong that I could not say less. You
will perhaps be the more interested in the work because
of its American character.
" I have thus far had nothing to do, since the summer
of 1859, with the editing of the Journal of Science, al-
though wholly charged with it before then. I hope soon
to take hold again.
311
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
" I shall take great pleasure in hearing from you, and
if a photograph of yourself could be added to your letter
it would enhance greatly the pleasure. Although so long
silent, there is no failing of esteem and admiration on the
part of your friend."
DARWIN TO DANA
" Down, Bromley, Kent, Jan. 7, 1863.
" I was most truly rejoiced to hear by your letter of
December 4th that your health is considerably re-estab-
lished and that you are at work on Science again. From
one to three hours a day must be a great change to you ;
but for me during many years three hours has been a
most unusually hard day's work. I hope to God that
your health will steadily, though slowly must be ex-
pected, improve. I have received the printed Corrigenda,
but am sorry to say that your Manual has not arrived.
I wrote to the Geological Society, and it has not there
arrived for the Society, as I heard this morning. I en-
close a photograph as you request. It was made by my
eldest son, and is the only one which I have. One,
almost too large for post, has been made in London.
" My health of late has been very indifferent, and I
have not seen one man of science for months ; so I really
have no news. Man is our great subject at present, and
Lyell has been working very hard, and I cannot conceive
why his book has not appeared. Murray on day of sale
disposed of four thousand copies ! The fossil bird with
the long tail and fingers to its wings (I hear from Falconer
that Owen has not done the work well) is by far the
greatest prodigy of recent times. This is a great case for
me, as no group was so isolated as birds; and it shows
how little we knew what lived during former times.
" Oh, how I wish a skeleton could be found in your so-
called red sandstone footstep beds! I am not at all
surprised that you had not read the Origin. All my
friends say it takes much thought (which really surprises
me), and most have had to read it two or three times. I
am at present at work on dry parts and dry bones, prepar-
ing a work to be entitled Variation under Domestication."
312
CORRESPONDENCE WITH CHARLES DARWIN
DANA TO DARWIN
" New Haven, February 5, 1863.
" The arrival of your photograph has given me great
pleasure, and I thank you warmly for it. I value it all
the more that it was made by your son. He must be a
proficient in the photographic art, for I have never seen
a finer black tint on such a picture.
I hope that ere this you have the copy of the Geology
(and without any charge of expense, as was my intention).
I have still to report your book [ The Origin of Species]
unread ; for my head has all it can now do in my college
duties.
" I have thought that I ought to state to you the
ground for my assertion, on page 602, that geology
has not afforded facts that sustain the view that the
system of life has been evolved through a method of
development from species to species. There are three
difficulties that weigh on my mind, and I will mention
them:
" I. The absence, in the great majority of cases, of
those transitions by small differences required by such a
theory. As the life of America and Europe has been
with few exceptions independent, one of the other, it is
right to look for the transitions on each continent sepa-
rately. The reply to this difficulty is that the science of
geology is comparatively new and facts are daily multiply-
ing. But this admits the proposition that geology does
not yet afford the facts required.
" 2. The fact of the commencement of types in some
cases by their higher groups of species instead of the
lower, — as fishes began with the selachians, or sharks,
the highest order of fishes, and the ganoids, which are
above the true level of the fish, between fishes and rep-
tiles. In the introduction of land plants, there were
acrogens and conifers and intermediate types, but not
the lower grade of mosses, seemingly the natural step-
ping-stone from the seaweeds. The species, Lepidodendra,
sigillarids, are examples of those intermediate or compre-
hensive types with which great groups often began, and
seem to explain the true relations of such types; but they
were not transitional forms in the system of life, but rather
the commencing forms of a type. If I advocate your
313
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
theory, I think I should take the ground that there were
certain original points of divergence from time to time
introduced into the system, as indicated by the compre-
hensive types.
"3. The fact that with the transitions in the strata and
formations, the exterminations of species often cut the
threads of genera, families, and tribes, — and sometimes,
also, of the higher groups of orders, classes, and even
subkingdoms ; and yet the threads have been started
again in new species. The transition, after the carbonif-
erous age was one apparently of complete extermina-
tion both in America and Europe, when all threads were
cut ; and yet life was reinstated, and partly by renewing
with species old genera in all the classes and subkingdoms,
besides adding new types.
" You thus see that I have not spoken positively on
page 602 without thinking I had some foundation for it.
I speak merely of the geological facts that bear on the
(or any) theory of development, not of facts from other
sources.
" You say in your letter that according to Mr. Fal-
coner, Professor Owen has not done his work well with
the reptilian bird. I should be very glad to know what
are Mr. Falconer's views. I should like also to have his
present opinions with respect to the mesozoic mammals
of England, or, at least, to be informed whether he sus-
tains the conclusions he first published on the subject.
I have quoted from Owen in my book because his pub-
lications were more recent, not that I have greater con-
fidence in his opinions or knowledge."
DARWIN TO DANA
" Down, Bromley, Kent, February 20 [1863].
" I received a few days ago your book, and this morn-
ing your pamphlet on Man and your kind letter. I am
heartily sorry that your head is not yet strong, and what-
ever you do, do not again overwork yourself. Your book
{^Manual of Geology\ is a monument of labor, though I
have as yet only just turned over the pages. It evidently
contains a mass of valuable matter.
" With respect to the change of species, I fully admit
your objections are perfectly valid. I have noticed them,
3H
CORRESPONDENCE WITH CHARLES DARWIN
excepting one of separation of countries, on which per-
haps we differ a little. I admit that if we really now
know the beginning of life on this planet, it is absolutely
fatal to my views. I admit the same if the geological
record is not excessively imperfect; and I further admit
that the a priori probability is that no being lived below
our Cambrian era.
Nevertheless I grow yearly more convinced of the
general (with much incidental error) truth of my views.
I believe in this from finding that my views embrace so
many phenomena and explain them to a large extent.
I am continually pleased by hearing of naturalists (within
the last month I have heard of four) who have come
round to a large extent to the belief of the modification
of species. As my book has been lately somewhat at-
tended to, perhaps it would have been better if, when
you condemned all such views, you had stated that you
had not been able yet to read it. But pray do not sup-
pose that I think for one instant that, with your strong
and slowly acquired convictions and immense knowledge,
you could have been converted. The utmost that I
could have hoped would have been that you might pos-
sibly have been here or there staggered. Indeed, I
should not much value any sudden conversion, for I
remember well how many years I fought against my pres-
ent belief, , . . "
DANA TO DARWIN
" New Haven, May 23, 1872.
" I have addressed to you a copy of my book on Corals
and Coral Islands, and have commissioned my son, Ed-
ward S. Dana, to present himself along with it, and also
to assure you of my unfailing esteem, and my admiration
for your labors in behalf of Science. My son, having
graduated at our University, goes to Europe to continue
his studies in Science next autumn in Germany. In the
meantime he looks forward to excursions during the sum-
mer in the Alps, as one means of benefiting his health,
now somewhat impaired.
" I was sorry that your sons did not visit New Haven
when on this continent, and give me a chance to show
my appreciation of their father."
315
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
III
CORRESPONDENCE WITH LOUIS AGASSIZ
The arrival in this country of Louis Agassiz, the Swiss
naturalist, gave a marvellous impulse to the study of
natural history. He had been a correspondent of Profes-
sor Silliman, certainly since January, 1835, and when ten
years later a transatlantic voyage seemed probable, in the
company of the Prince of Canino, the student of glaciers
and fossils turned to Silliman for counsel. The illness of
the Prince broke up his project. Soon, however, Hum-
boldt induced the King of Prussia to provide the requisite
means, so that to this enlightened monarch, America
owes Agassiz. He arrived in 1846, was invited to deliver
a course of lectures in the Lowell Institute, received from
Professor Bache special facilities for studying ocean fauna
on one of the vessels of the Coast Survey, and was soon
persuaded to accept a professorship of zoology in the
newly founded Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard.
As early as 1847, before going to Boston, he came to New
Haven, and made the personal acquaintance of those
whom he knew so well by name, especially of his vener-
able correspondent, whom he names" the dean of Amer-
ican science," Professor Silliman, his son, and his
son-in-law, Professor Dana.
The friendship of Agassiz, which was soon followed by
that of Guyot, exerted a powerful influence upon Dana's
intellectual growth. Previously, Gray had been the only
naturalist, outside of New Haven, with whom he had been
on terms of scientific intimacy as with a peer, for most of
the other naturalists whom he knew were younger men,
or were restricted in their pursuits. Agassiz, like Darwin,
was an investigator in broad domains. Henceforward
they met not infrequently, and the exchange of letters
was constant. Agassiz became one of the contributors
316
CORRESPONDENCE WITH L. AGASSIZ
to and one of the associate editors of the Journal. He
plied Dana with questions, and commented freely upon
his writings. Both were such firm theists that they ap-
proached the new doctrines of evolution from the same
direction. Le Conte, who has likewise won distinction
in wide fields of observation, has pointed out the differ-
ence between his older friends, one of whom had been his
teacher.*
Dana's letters to Agassiz have not been recovered. Of
those received from Agassiz the pile is almost unbroken.
This is the earliest that has come to light. It was written
shortly after his first visit to New Haven.
AGASSIZ TO DANA, 1 847
" What have you thought of me all this time, not
having written a single line, — neither to you nor to Pro-
fessor Silliman, — after the kind reception I have met with
by your whole family ? Pray excuse me; consider, if
you please, the difficulty under which I labor, having
every day to look after hundreds of things which always
carry me beyond usual hours of working, when I am then
so much tired that I can think of nothing. Nevertheless
it is a delightful life to be allowed to examine in a fresh
state so many things of which I had but an imperfect
knowledge from books. The Boston market supplies me
with more than I can examine. Since I had the pleasure
of seeing you I have been very successful in collecting
specimens, especially in New York and Albany; but I
pity very much to have not yet been able to visit Profes-
sor Hitchcock. In Washington I have been delighted to
see the collections of the Exploring Expedition. They
entitle you to the highest thanks from all scientific
naturalists, and I hope it will also be felt in the same
manner by your countrymen at large. I have seen and
examined with some care your fossil fish with scattered
scales. I was so little prepared to see anything like that,
that I did not know it from your figure ; it is a new genus
* See Chapter.
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
from a family of which almost nothing is known in a fossil
state, the tones cuirasses of Cuvier. ... I long for
the opportunity of studying your fossil shells ; as soon as
I have gone over my Lowell lectures I hope to be able to
move. I shall only pack up what I have already col-
lected, but I cannot yet tell you precisely the time.
I began studying your Zoophytes, but it is so rich a
work that I proceed slowly. For years I have not learned
so much from a book as from yours. As I soon saw I
would not be able to go through it in a short time, I sent
a short preliminary report to one of our most diffused
papers, Preussische Staatszeitung, giving only the general
impression of your work, and I shall send to Erichsen a
fuller scientific report after I have done with the whole
volume."
AGASSIZ TO DANA
" Charleston, January 26, 1852.
"It is but for the pleasure of writing a few lines to
you I take the pen this evening, that you should at least
know I think often of you on these shores; and how
could I do otherwise, when I find daily new small Crus-
tacea, which remind me of the important work you are
now preparing upon that subject? Of course of the larger
ones there is nothing to be found after Professor Gibbes,
but among the lower orders there are a great many in store
for a microscopic observer. I have only to regret that I
cannot apply myself more closely. I find my nervous
system so overexcited that any continued exertion makes
me feverish. So I go about much as the weather allows,
and gather material for better times. Several interesting
medusae have been already observed, — among others, the
entire metamorphosis and alternate generation of a new
species of my genus Tiaropsis. You will be pleased to
hear that here as well as at the North, Tiaropsis is the
free medusa of a campanularia. Mr. Clark, one of my
assistants, has made very good drawings of all its stages
of growth, and of various other hydroid medusae peculiar
to this coast. Mr. Stimpson, another very promising
young naturahst, who has been connected with me for
some time in the same capacity, draws the Crustacea and
318
CORRESPONDENCE WITH L. AGASSIZ
bryozoa, of which there are also a good many new here.
The mollusks have been his favorites for seVeral years
past, and he has lately published an excellent revision of
the Testacea of New England, particularly valuable for the
extensive observations he has collected upon their geo-
graphical distribution and the depths at which they occur.
When you receive his book I would thank you to mention
it favorably in the Journal ; it deserves it fully, for the
great accuracy and care with which the facts there con-
densed have been gathered. My son, and my old friend
Burkhardt, are also with me (upon Sullivan's Island),
and look after the large species, so that I shall probably
have greatly increased my information upon the fauna
of the Atlantic coast by the time I return to Cambridge.
In town, where I go three times a week to deliver lectures
at the Medical College, and in the evening before a mixed
audience, I have my whole female family, so that nothing
would be wanting in my happiness if my health was only
better. I have heard so little of your own circle, since
the Professors Silliman returned from Europe, that I
should be delighted to receive a few lines from you, as
soon as you can spare me a few moments. What a pity
that a man cannot work as much as he would like; or at
least accomplish what he aims at! But no doubt it is
best it should be so ; there is no harm in being compelled
by natural necessities to limit our ambition; on the con-
trary, the better sides of nature are thus not allowed to
go to sleep. However, I cannot but regret that I am
unable at this time to trace more extensively a subject for
which I would have ample opportunities here, the anat-
omy of the echinoderms, and also the embryology of
the lower animals in general. I regret this the more
since I wanted to trace, on a larger scale than I have had
an opportunity before, the transformation of intestinal
worms, for which it is necessary to have constantly a
large supply of specimens on hand. But, however
limited my investigations upon this subject are, I have
already obtained a very important result. You may re-
member a paper I read at the meeting of Cambridge in
August, 1849, i"^ which I showed that the embryo which
is hatched from the egg of planaria is a genuine polygas-
tric animalcule of the genus Paramecium., as now char-
acterized by Ehrenberg. You have certainly Steenstrup's
319
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
work on alternate generations, and will find there that in
the extraordinary succession of alternate generations,
ending with the production of cercaria and its metamor-
phosis into distoma, a link was wanting — the knowledge
of the young hatched from the egg of distoma. The
deficiency I can now fill. It is another infusorium, a
genuine opalina. With such facts before us, there is no
longer any doubt left respecting the character of all those
polygastrica ; they are the earliest larval condition of
worms. And since I have ascertained that the varticellse
are true bryozoa, there is not a single type of these
microscopic beings left which can hereafter be considered
as forming a class by itself in the animal kingdom. Under
whatever name and whatever circumscription it has ap-
peared or may be retained to this day, the class of Infusoria
is now entirely dissolved, and of Ehrenberg's painful in-
vestigations the descriptive details alone can be available
in future, but the whole systematic arrangement is gone.
This result has another interesting bearing ; it shows the
correctness of Blanchard's view respecting planariae and
their close relation to the intestinal worm known under
the name of trematoda. Indeed, they belong to one
and the same natural group."
AGASSIZ TO DANA
Classification of Crustacea
" Charleston, Feb. 9, 1852.
" Many thanks for your very instructive remarks on
the classification of Crustacea; they are the more welcome
since I pay as much attention as I can to that class now,
especially with the view of tracing their metamorphoses
in reference to classification. I have no doubt that the
principle which has guided you is identical' or nearly so
in its results with that of embryonic changes. I would
offer a single suggestion. I do not know sufficiently the
specialities of carcinology to say positively that the
CumcB, as a group, must be suppressed, but I can state
with confidence that all the species of that genus which
I have had an opportunity to examine alive, and I have
320
CORRESPONDENCE WITH L. AGASSIZ
watched three, are young of Palcemon, Crangon, and
Hippolyte. I have full memoranda upon this subject in
Cambridge. Nebalia is also a genus based upon embryonic
forms, as this is the case with one species lately observed
here. The three CumcB seen at the North were actually
hatched from eggs of Crangon septemspinosus, Palcemon
vulgaris, and Hippolyte amleata. ' '
The Albany University
" I deeply regret that I cannot be in Albany with
you; but shall write a few lines to the committee. I
regret very much that such application is that for which
I am now least fit, otherwise I would lay out a full plan
in accordance with my experience in teaching. It is too
important a subject to be neglected by us, whenever we
are called upon to express our views. The chief points
to be settled seem to me : Independence of the institu-
tion from political and religious sectarianism, the con-
trol of the scientific interests of the institution in the
hands of the faculty; its pecuniary affairs entrusted to
trustees, the professors to have no hand in that. But to
secure the full attention of the professors to their duties,
competition in teaching should be as free as possible,
allowing every young man of talent to come forward as
free teachers and compete with the regular professors.
This would create a nursery of professors for other institu-
tions and prepare the rising generation to enter upon a
wider circle of usefulness. Such free teachers to have no
fixed salary, but only student fees. The regular profes-
sors a liberal fixed salary. It would be desirable that it
be fixed so high as to require no addition from fees, and
that the management of these was left entirely to the
trustees for the best of the institution. Liberal oppor-
tunities to the library, museums, laboratories, etc., so
fixed that no professor would be trammelled by envy or
jealousy. Attendance on lectures entirely at the option
of the students, under the advice of the professors.
Lectures to be occasionally delivered by the different
professors upon the course students ought to pursue in
their studies."
321
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
AGASSIZ TO DANA
How Far are Animals Aboriginal?
" Cambridge, July 8, 1853.
" I have never felt more keenly than I do now, since
my inability to work hard leaves me time for writing let-
ters, how much I have lost by not attempting to keep up
a regular correspondence with you. I was delighted to-
day to learn from you that you are satisfied that genera
are not mere artful devices of naturalists to register their
observations upon species. You are the first naturalist
I have found who had that confidence ; but, as you say,
it requires more knowledge to arrive at that conviction
than most of our zoologists possess. To me genera ap-
pear like general portions in the mind of the Creator, of
which species are only the different expressions. But
who would grant that except those who recognize in
nature the thought of a personal God ? You are not so
much at leisure now as I am obliged to be, so do not
think that I expect an answer to all my notes, but grant
me the pleasure to write as often as you can. I have
been lately devising some method to ascertain how far
animals are truly autochtone and how far they have ex-
tended their primitive boundaries. I will attempt to test
that question with Long Island, the largest of all the
islands along our coast. For this purpose I would for
the present limit myself to the fresh-water fishes and shells,
and for the sake of comparison collect carefully all the
species living in the rivers of Connecticut, New York, and
New Jersey, and ascertain whether they are identical
with those of the island. Whatever may come out of
such an investigation, it will at all events furnish interest-
ing data upon the local distribution of the species. Could
you for this object give me names of some gentlemen —
they need not be naturalists — who could undertake to put
up for me, in alcohol, all the fishes and shells found
above tide-level in Thames River and its tributaries, in
the Connecticut, Farmington River, Housatonic, and any
watercourse upon which you may chance to have intelli-
gent and obliging acquaintances ? I have already applied
to New York and New Jersey, and I am almost confident
322
CORRESPONDENCE WITH L. AGASSIZ
that something interesting will come out, for there is one
feature of importance in the case, — the present surface of
Long Island is not older than the drift period ; all its in-
habitants must therefore have been introduced since that
time. I shall see that I obtain similar collections from
the upper course of the Connecticut, to ascertain whether
here, as in the Mississippi, the species differ at different
heights of the river basin."
AGASSIZ TO DANA
A cknowledgments
" May 28, 1855.
" You did, of course, not know that the 28th of May
was my forty-eighth birthday and that you were sending
me the most magnificent birthday present I could have
received, which came just in due time for the occasion.
Many, many thanks, my dear friend, for your invaluable
gift; I praise it for its own intrinsic merit, but I am
equally delighted at its appearance as the work of an
American scientific man. Posterity will award to you
the merit of having made the name of America respect-
able in the highest scientific circles, for Franklin was
always claimed an ex parte European. I am happy to
join you with my own efforts. ' '
AGASSIZ TO DANA
Classification of Zoophytes
" Nahant, August 7, 1855.
" There is one fundamental feature in your work on
Zoophytes which seems to have escaped notice of all those
who are now writing upon corals, viz. : that you were the
first to combine the animals which constitute the class of
Polypi into one and the same natural division ; for Milne-
Edwards still placed actinoids, halcyonoids, and hy-
droids as co-ordinate groups before the publication of
your great work; although he now undertakes to make
it appear as if his classification and yours were essentially
identical,
323
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
" I may be able to prepare something for the meeting
upon classification in general, and especially upon the
real existence in nature of those divisions we call classes,
orders, families, and genera, in opposition to those who
would consider such divisions as mere devices to aid us
in our investigations. I hold that these groups do not
merely differ in degree, but in kind, and that characters
which may distinguish classes do not apply as character-
istics of orders, however limited in extent, nor these to
families or genera, and that all these higher divisions
exist in nature in the same manner as species do, and
that it is idle to pretend that species as such have a more
tangible existence. Think this over, please."
AGASSIZ TO DANA
Science and Religion
" July, 1856.
" I had to wait for a leisure moment to read your
second article, being at present entirely absorbed with
my printing of the first volume of the contributions. I,
sand we all, are greatly indebted to you for fighting so
earnestly the cause of our independence versus clerical
'arrogance. No one can do it so effectually as you ; from
me or any one else who does not profess to be a member
of the church it would have no weight with church people
at large. I am sorry to find that this clerical spirit is still
alive, as bitter, vehement, and overbearing as in the worst
times of religious bigotry. It confirms me in my deter-
mination to have nothing to do with church matters and
church organizations. I do not see but it must come to
this, that each and every one must settle religious affairs
for himself, without any regard to others ; for, after all,
religion is a personal relation to God, and we derive as
little comfort from the interference of others with refer-
ence to our intercourse with our Maker, as we do in
matters of affection.
"As to your allusion to my paper in Nott and Glid-
don's Types of Mankind, I can have no objection at your
finding it out of place there. Yet I do not regret con-
tributing it. Nott is a man after my heart, for whose
324
CORRESPONDENCE WITH A. GUYOT
private character I have the kindest regard. He is a true
man, and if you knew what he has had to suffer from the
criminations of bigots, like Professor Lewis, you would
not wonder at his enmity to such men. He has dealt
with them in about the same manner as you have with
Professor Lewis. All the difference is that he has no
sympathy with their church. But I know him to be a
man of truth and faith. Gliddon is worse, especially in
his utterance, and has allowed his resentment to mislead
him to personalities which all his friends blame. But I
would rather meet a man like him, who knows as much
as he does about antiquity, and who cares to investigate
it, than any of those who shut their eyes against evidence.
" My book proceeds to my entire satisfaction. I hope
to have the first volume out towards the fall. I long to
have you read the introduction, and if the publishers will
let me have a copy before the publication of the whole
volume, I will send it on to you. I wish it had been in
your hands before you wrote your second article."
The remainder of this letter is wanting in general in-
terest.
IV
CORRESPONDENCE WITH ARNOLD GUYOT
Guyot became a friend of Dana's soon after his arrival
in this country, in 1848, and the intimacy continued un-
broken till the death of Guyot in 1884. One of Dana's
sons bears the name of Arnold Guyot, and the eulogy of
Guyot before the National Academy of Sciences was
written by Dana. Respecting Guyot's Earth and Man,
Dana wrote :
" Professor Guyot's Earth and Man should make part
of the course of preparatory or later study of every
American student. It gives, in brief form, broad and
comprehensive views of the earth's features and climates;
draws out,^in a forcible but simple style, a vivid portrait-
ure of the continents and oceans, exhibiting their physical
32s
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
resources and their relations to the living species inhabit-
ing them ; brings in enough of geology to show how the
existing characteristics have come out of the past, and to
illustrate the general laws of progress ; and then explains
the relations of the continents and their different countries
to man's history, in a general survey of the progress of
civilization. The student gathers new ideas from every
page, and before he has closed the work has learned, as
never before, to appreciate the exalted position of
America in the ' Geographical March of Humanity
through the Ages.' No one, young or old, can read it
without great benefit to his moral as well as his intel-
lectual nature."
DANA TO GUYOT
" New Haven, Jan. 30, 1851.
" I was much gratified by your kind letter of the 27th
inst. Your visit here gave us so much pleasure that we
shall always esteem it a kindness to us whenever you can
come again to our house and home. I am much obliged
by your sending a copy of the Zoophytes to Professor
Pictet, and gratified that the chapters you referred to
were found of interest. The Geology has not yet been
noticed here or abroad, and nothing would please me
more than your review of any part of it.
" We have been expecting that Professor Silliman, Jr.,
would draw up for the Journal an article on the Mam-
moth Cave ; and but just a few days since we learned that
he would not find time for it. We should therefore be
glad to have the letter to you for the Journal of Science.
I doubt not that he would be glad to have it appear in
the Bibliothiqtie Universelle, and would feel greatly in-
debted to you for communicating it to that journal. Our
March number is so far advanced that we shall not require
it for printing under three weeks, when we shall begin
with the May number.
I have recently endeavored to explain your views
upon the harmony of Science and the Mosaic account of
the Creation, before a few gentlemen, but wished much
that you were here to do the subject justice. Professor
Mitchell has also been lecturing on this point, and takes
the same basis for his explanations — the nebular theory.
326
LETTERS TO GUYOT
But he is only an astronomer — no geologist, chemist, or
zoologist, and his views are therefore imperfect in detail
and wanting in philosophical spirit. There is something
exceedingly sublime in the command ' Sit lux,' when we
consider that light is the first index of chemical combina-
tion and molecular change — and therefore the command
is equivalent to ' Let force act.' The vivifying impulse
thus given to the particles before inert would send a flash
of light throughout the universe. This point, which you
mention in your explanations, Professor Mitchell did not
seem to comprehend in its full signification. I hope the
time may come when you will speak for yourself here on
the subject."
DANA TO GUYOT
" New Haven, June 29, 1861.
" In mailing for you a copy of my pamphlet on Cephali-
zation, I wish to send also one word more of prompting
with regard to your article on Classification. Our Septem-
ber number goes to press in a few days; will it not be
ready for its pages ?
" I have just been looking over Draper's new work on
the Intellectual Development of Europe. It is a work of
much thought, but a misshapen mass, with the spirit left
out. It makes me long, more than ever, for the publica-
tion of your views on the philosophy of history.
" The world is summoning you to action in the great
conflict with the materializing influences of the day. I
know you are in full action ; but there is need of that
wider sweep of your power which can be gained only
through your pen and the printer's press.
" I shall have something farther to say on cephaliza-
tion, in connection with embryonic development, in a
future number of the Journal of Science."
DANA TO GUYOT
" New Haven, April 18, 1863.
" Am I right in saying that you first brought forward
the idea that the human race would necessarily have
sunk to a state of degradation as the first stage after cre-
ation, on account of man's primal ignorance, together
327
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
with his natural selfishness and vicious properties ?
Please drop me a line by return mail, as I have an allu-
sion to the subject in a brief notice of Huxley in the
Journal of Science.'
" When shall we have, for the Journal, your first article
on Classification ? The debasing association of Man with
the Quadrumana, which so many zoologists are now ad-
mitting, calls for immediate action on the part of those
who know what is truth ; and I want very much to have
you speak out: — then the interests of science at large
require your thoughts."
DANA TO GUYOT
' New Haven, Sept. 29, 1863.
" I was very glad to hear once more from you, but
sorry to learn that impaired health had kept you silent.
I supposed that you were probably away on your sum-
mer tour of exploration. I do not wonder at your break-
down ; for you were doing the work of three persons last
winter. But it will not do for me to lecture you on the
subject of health. This you would repeat after me em-
phatically if you knew what I have been at the past two
or three months and what done ; that I have thirty-seven
pages in type of my own in the next number of the
Journal — pages that have cost me a vast deal of thought.
But I could not help it. My head would think and work
over the developing ideas, and I saw rest ahead only in
giving it play until the mouse was brought forth.
" The subject is Classification of Animals as based on
Cephalization. I was afraid that you would think me
encroaching on a topic we had worked on together. But
this cephalization kept working out new and unexpected
results, and I thought my true course was to publish
them in detail — and then you would have them to adjust
into your more ideal system. The whole of the article
has been evolved since summer began, except what ap-
pears in my former articles. I will send you a copy as
soon as it is all struck off. I lay out at length the general
laws bearing on classification, with full explanations, and
then give the classes, orders, and some of the tribes of
the animal kingdom, as they appear to be in nature, in
the light of the principle illustrated.
328
LETTERS TO GUYOT
" I think when you hear the results of Prof. J. D.
Whitney's survey of California, you will modify your
opinion with regard to the Pacific borderiof our continent.
He finds that the supposed carboniferous beds of the
Shartz region are mesozoic ; finds cretaceous rocks and
fossils in many parts of the Sierra Nevada, and inclines
to the opinion that the mountains were not thrown up
before the later cretaceous or the tertiary. I have
known his facts for the year past, but have no permission
to publish them before his own report is issued. I incline
to the opinion that the western sides of the continents are
alike in the age of their highest mountains ; and the eastern
alike in the age of their highest. But this is something
for the future to determine.
" We shall be happy to have anything from you for the
Journal, and hope you will send on the few pages from
your Earth and Man.
" My labors have worn a little on my health and make
me feel the need of complete rest for two or three weeks ;
and I intend to take it."
DANA TO GUYOT
"New Haven, February 14, 1865.
" I had hoped for the pleasure of meeting you in Wash-
ington, at the meeting of the National Academy, and did
not know till recently that you were not there. I was not
disabled by any special illness at the time, but saw plainly
that it would not do for me to play President at Wash-
ington during a brief vacation, and then return to my
geological course here. Could I have had a week's
recruiting after the meeting, I should probably have
attended it.
" I wish most heartily I were out of the ofiSce of Vice-
President, and I think I shall take an early opportunity
to abdicate. It makes the meetings, now that Bache is
unwell, times of great fatigue for me, and of no satisfac-
tory intercourse with friends on the ground. I dislike
the duty, and care nothing for the honor of it. You will
not be surprised, therefore, if my resignation is handed
in not long hence. ...
329
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
" Now that you have a full report of your lectures on
Genesis, I hope it may not be long before they are in
print. I desire greatly to see your thoughts — so pro-
found, so full of good for man in these days of increasing
scepticism — circulating widely.
" I met Hall at Poughkeepsie last fall, and the subject
of a geological map came up, as we had corresponded at
several different times on the subject, and I mentioned
reasons why he should publish one at once, but not be-
lieving anything would come of it. . . .
" I received a letter from Lesquereux about the Ohio
survey, and wrote at once, giving him a strong recom-
mendation as the man for the survey ; and I hope he may
not be disappointed with regard to it.
" I have just passed my fifty-second birthday — on the
1 2th ; and I feel older at that age than I ever expected to
— partly because I am already crippled in my powers of
work. I feel that I have gained much during the year
past, and I do not despair but that soundness of head
may yet be restored to me. It still tires quite too easily
for the normal condition. I feel anxious to work, and
work effectually, while the day lasts, having a constantly
augmenting realization of the greatness and extent of the
work to be done to keep science headed aright in these
times. There is wonderful comfort and strength in the
thought that God is with the right, and will give triumph
to the truth."
DANA TO GUYOT
" New Haven, Jan. 30, 1875.
" Your kind note was very welcome. With regard to
the Quarternary you saw deeper than I did when the first
edition of the Geology was in preparation. As to the
' Age of Invertebrates,' I had forgotten that you fa-
vored the term. Not long after the Manual was pub-
lished, I had a letter from Murchison telling me that he
had proposed the term. Age of Invertebrates, and arguing
for its adoption, and I have ever since been in favor of it.
" With regard to species, I am off a little from my old
ground and yours. But the more I have thought of late
over the first chapter of Genesis, the more ready I have
330
LETTERS TO GUYOT
been to believe that the fiats were the commencement of
a series of productions, through force imparted at the
time to nature. Is not this the true interpretation of the
language ? This is essentially the view taken by Pro-
fessor Tayler Lewis of Schenectady, whom I once criti-
cised on account of it."
DANA TO GUYOT
" New Haven, Jan. 27, 1881.
" It was a great pleasure to receive your letter of yes-
terday, and to be put into so close communion with you
by it. Life is fast slipping by; but under God's good-
ness it keeps giving happiness as it passes.
" All of my household are well, and my own health is
good except for the tired head ; and that is not so badly
off but that I go through with all college duties, and find
pleasure in long walks, and when the snow does not inter-
fere, in work with hammer in hand among the rocks.
My last geologizing was on the 26th of November, over
the upper part of New York island. I have been waiting
ever since for another chance — three or four days of work
being needed to finish another Journal article. I should
like exceedingly to see your Museum again with its large
collections, triply enlarged. I have no doubt you make
a far better show in the way of fossils than we do. You
are ahead of us in the Cave bear, and no doubt in many
other things. Mrs. Dana would delight to visit your
pleasant home again, and the time may come about when
we can do it.
" I have not yet seen Wallace's new book, having de-
layed to order it from the hope that the publisher would
send the Journal a copy. Your reference to that point
about the continents and oceans brings to mind the fact
that I have never mentioned your name where I have
brought out the idea in my Geology. When did you first
publish on the subject ? My first article (part of an
article, rather) ' On the Origin of Continents ' appeared
in the Journal of Science for 1846 (vol. ii. of the 2d
Series, p. 352), and in it I give reasons for the opinion
that the continents were always continents, etc. ; and this
being quite early, and before you came to America, you
331
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
see why I should have thought that I had first presented
the idea. My cruise over the oceans in 1838 to 1842
brought such subjects before me, and gave me opinions
that otherwise I might never have reached. I wish much
to know when you made your first publication of the
view, that I may give you credit for it. I shall probably
say something on the subject when I notice Wallace in
the Journal.''
DANA TO GUYOT
" Great Barrington, July 2, 1884.
" You see by my date above that I am already in the
country, seeking the rest and quiet that Commencement
week with its excesses makes very necessary. It was a
time of special interest to us, as it ended Arnold's college
course, and was the fiftieth anniversary of my graduation.
With him it was made doubly memorable by the recep-
tion of your most beautiful gift — a gift that touched
us all most deeply, and was a surprise and delight to
him. . . .
" My class meeting — a gathering of nineteen, between
sixty-eight and seventy-six in age — passed off very pleas-
antly, but of course without the hilarity of recent gradu-
ates. Though the end wsis to each in manifest view, we
were a cheerful group; and why not, for we were all
Christians.
I get my vacation rest by excursions among the
rocks, and this summer Berkshire will again be my field
of study. It is a delightful region, with everything in
the scenery and people to make geologizing a recrea-
tion. . . ."
V
LETTERS TO SIR ARCHIBALD GEIKIE
With Sir Archibald Geikie, head of the Geological
Survey of Great Britain, Dana entered into friendly per-
sonal relations when the British geologist made his first
visit to this country in 1879, but their correspondence
332
LETTERS TO A. GEIKIE
began at an earlier date. After his return they ex-
changed frequent letters, chiefly upon technical points
suggested by Dana's study of the Taconic rocks and
partly by Dr. Sterry-Hunt's publications. Through Sir
Archibald Geikie, communications were made to the
Geological Society of London. He has kindly shown me
all this correspondence, a part of which was confidential,
and in making a selection, it is difficult to decide between
the interests of the general reader, for whom this memoir
is prepared, and those of professional geologists. One may
think that too few of Dana's letters are given ; another
will find too many.
DANA TO GEIKIE
"New Haven, October i8, 1873.
" May I ask you one question on the geology of the
Isle of Skye ? Macculloch describes a rock, which he
pronounces eruptive and also chrysolite, as occurring on
that island, and I have supposed that he referred to a
rock related to that of Staffa in being a dolerite. What
I desire to know is whether there is any 'Azoic ' or
' Laurentian ' granitoid (that is, precambrian) rock on
the island which is chrysolitic, and is strictly a chrysolitic
hypersthenite, related therefore to a rock found at Elf-
dalen in Sweden and described by Rose. A word from
you on this point would greatly oblige me."
DANA TO GEIKIE
"New Haven, January 12, 1874.
" I was exceedingly glad to have your opinion about
the chrysolite of Skye. Prof. T. Sterry-Hunt has re-
cently stated that he had examined the collections of
Macculloch, and had ascertained that his chrysolite was
in the hypersthene rock of Skye. Should you at any time
refer to those collections I should be much pleased to
learn further your opinion on the subject.
" I have read your memoirs, which you kindly ad-
dressed to me, with great pleasure. You show that Scot-
land was an extraordinary region of igneous rocks, almost
333
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
a volcanic region, in ancient time. I have cited some of
the facts respecting the great Tertiary outflows in my
Geology. It is surprising that the Duke of Argyll should
have found fault with your views on erosion and the
conclusions therefrom ; and especially that he should
have discovered anything of a sceptical tendency in them.
My range of travel through the Pacific and over parts of
the adjoining continents early impressed me with the
truth of the Huttonian view ; and I still hold that erosion
has shaped the mountains, and mainly fresh-water erosion
— not marine. I shall be happy to send you a copy of
my Geology when it is out. The work is largely rewritten
and much enlarged ; but on the subject of valley-making
it is unaltered, agreeing, I believe, with the views you
entertain. ' '
DANA TO GEIKIE
" New Haven, October 5, 1879.
" I rejoice to know that you will give me the pleasure
of an excursion with you on Saturday next (the i ith).
My walks with the students are wholly voluntary, and
any other day will serve them as well. I do not know
what may be your preference as to time of starting on
Saturday morning. We are early risers here — being
made so by University duties ; and I shall be ready by
eight o'clock or any time thereafter that is agreeable to
you. With horses, we could drive to several places of
interest, and make the most of the time. After a lunch
at one or two o'clock we could either go off again or visit
the Museum of the University, which contains much of
Rocky Mountain interest in Professor Marsh's collections.
His latest novelties are marsupial remains from the Colo-
rado Jurassic ; but the most marvellous of his discoveries
is the Devonian skeleton with femur eight feet long, —
that is, next to his toothed birds."
DANA TO GEIKIE
" New Haven, October 23, 1879.
I have put up for you a few specimens to show what
are Taconic rocks and those associated with them to the
eastward. If you arrange them geographically you will
334
LETTERS TO A. GEIKIE
appreciate the fact that the degree of metamorphism is
more and more marked as you go south from Vermont
to Connecticut, and as you go east from the Taconic
range. West of the Taconic Range the schist and lime-
stone become but less crystalline, and for the most part
the schists are hydromica schists, and what has been
called clay-slate. I have requested a friend at Pough-
keepsie — Prof. W. B. Dwight — to send you a specimen
or two of the Poughkeepsie slate and the adjoining lime-
stone. The frondiferous specimen which I offered you
when you were at my house I have put in the package.
" I regret that I have no good set of duplicates from
the Taconic region to give you ; but, such as they are,
you may learn something from them about our Green
Mountain Geology.
" I would add that in Connecticut, the mica schists
and gneisses connected with the limestone region, and
conformable with the limestone, are among the coarser
and least characterized varieties. You will see this
brought out in my papers."
DANA TO GEIKIE
" New Haven, January 27, 1882.
" As to my paper — you will find in it nothing contro-
versial and almost nothing about T. S. H. — nothing
calculated to offend him, though it may make him wish
I had kept silent. I simply show that his doubt is un-
called for; that all investigators of the region of the
Taconic Mountains and that adjoining, from Emmons to
the latest, have come to the same conclusion that I have
reached as to the conformability of the schists and lime-
stone, the point referred to in the doubt. I propose to
send the article next week. At the same time I will
send a copy of my several articles on the Green Mountain
region, bound up, for the Geological Society."
DANA TO GEIKIE
" New Haven, January 30, 1882.
" Had I been present at the meeting of the Geological
Society on the i6th of November last, the closing remark
335
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
of Dr. T. Sterry-Hunt, reported in the Proceedings of that
date, would probably have brought me to my feet; and
I presume that the Society would have favored me with a
hearing while I endeavored to show that, without a better
reason than that given, an interrogation mark should not
be so drawn across my several Green Mountain Memoirs
and those of other workers among the Taconic rocks.
" As that ' doubt ' now stands recorded in the publica-
tions of the Geological Society without a dissenting re-
mark, I hope the Society will receive from me the short
statement I herewith send, and give it a place in its
Journal.
" The statement is not controversial in any respect,
but only a simple review of the conclusions published by
the various investigators of the Taconic region ; and its
purpose is to show how far there has been unanimity on
the point referred to in that doubt. I shall esteem it a
great favor if you will present my paper to the Society.
I send also by post a bound copy of my Memoirs on the
subject, which I beg you will present to the Geological
Society for its library.
" The Green Mountain region, including the Taconic
range as one of its subordinate parts, is remarkable for
the extent of its ranges of crystalline limestone. They
are quarried for white and clouded marbles at various
points from Central Vermont to New York City — a dis-
tance of two hundred and fifty miles. In the region the
metamorphism of the original stratified rocks (produced
probably during the period of upturning in which the
Green Mountains were made) diminished in intensity to
the northward and to the westward ; or, conversely, in-
creased to the southward and to the eastward, along the
region. Consequently, to find rocks that are imperfectly
metamorphosed and still containing fossils, we have to go
either northward to Central Vermont and beyond, or
westward over Eastern New York toward the Hudson
River. The limestone along the range manifests beauti-
fully this variation in degree of metamorphism ; for, to
the north, it is very fine grained and at some points ex-
cellent statuary marble; while to the south, in West-
chester County, it presents its extreme of coarseness, the
crystalline grains in much of it a fourth of an inch across;
and to the westward, evidences of metamorphism in some
336
LETTERS TO A. GEIKIE
places almost fade out, the limestones being gray and
feebly crystalline. As a consequence, also, the region
affords an excellent chance for studying the successive
stages of crystallization and other concomitant changes
in the metamorphosed sedimentary rocks which are associ-
ated with the limestone. These changes are well shown
along the Green Mountain and Taconic region from north
to south ; but are exhibited more strikingly on lines from
east to west because these transverse lines are short
compared with the longitudinal.
" In thus speaking of the Green Mountain region (the
Taconic included) as made of the limestone ranges and
the conformably associated rocks, I do not mean to im-
ply that this is so without exception, for Archaean rocks
cover nearly all of Putnam County in Eastern New York,
and outcrop also in Western Connecticut, and probably
also in Western Massachusetts, and in portions of the
mountain region of Vermont, as held by Prof. C. H.
Hitchcock. But these are small areas compared with the
rest. Although so small they are of the highest interest
in this connection, since they offer us an explanation as
to the origin of those sediments which were made into
strata of the Green Mountain region.
" I wish you could have given the region some study
when you were in New England last summer. I would
strongly recommend a brief visit at least to it when you
are again this side of the ocean. I should esteem it a
privilege to give you all the help I could in the study of
the region ; and I would say the same to any member of
the Geological Society.
" In order that the precise position of the region re-
ferred to in my paper may be understood, and the general
geographical relations of its several parts and localities, I
send by post, at the same time with my book and letter,
a map of New England (part of Maine excluded) and
Eastern New York, for the library of the Geological
Society. It is one of our Government Post Route maps,
and I have selected it because the scale is large, and it is
unobscured by bad typography. The map will be also of
service to any members that may be interested in an
article I am now publishing in the American Journal
of Science on the Quaternary Flood of the Connecticut
River Valley.
337
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
DANA TO GEIKIE
" New Haven, July 19, 1882.
" The copy of your Geological Sketches which you
kindly addressed to me has been received, and I thank
you much for it. I have already told you of my delight
in reading some of the sketches, and they are all excel-
lent. . . .
" I am greatly interested in the discovery of fossils in
the metamorphic rocks of Bergen, Norway, announced in
a recent paper by Hans H. Reusch. The rocks (Upper
Silurian) are much like those west of our New Haven."
DANA TO GEIKIE
"New Haven, December 17, 1884.
I have also to thank you for your paper on Coral
Islands. I still believe, however, Darwin to be right
probably, and, as I have seen and studied many of the
islands as well as coral reefs, I may state the Darwin side
of the subject before long in our Journal of Science."
DANA TO GEIKIE
" New Haven, May 19, i886.
" I thank you for your note of the 6th, received three
days since, and am not much surprised that your Scotch
facts should come forward for an explanation of Taconic
geology. I was greatly interested in your paper, and on
receiving a copy of it (from you, I think), I inserted it
in our Journal (vol. xxix., p. 10, 1885) entire. It brought
before me the possibilities, and I at once reviewed the
Taconic subject with reference to them. The conclusion
was that we have not in Berkshire, or the Taconic region,
a single one of the conditions you find in Scotland, and
which have so long been a vexation to British geologists.
We have in no case a more crystalline structure or
mass overlying a less crystalline; but a perfect corre-
spondence between the limestone and adjoining schist in
grade of metamorphism. Where the Canaan fossils occur
the adjoining slate looks very much like your Welsh
338
LETTERS TO A. GEIKIE
roofing slates; it is a very fine glossy hydromica slate
(I suppose hydromicaceous from its microscopic charac-
ters; it has not yet been analyzed chemically). Then,
to the south, where fossils appear near Poughkeepsie and
the limestone is the same western belt of Taconic lime-
stone, both the limestone and the associated slate contain
Lower Silurian fossils. In our Taconic region we have
parallel belts of limestone and schist — going east from
Canaan-Four-Corners, New York, we have. I do not in
the section undertake to give relative distance correctly
nor precise dips.
[Here followed a pen diagram and notes.]
" Now that eastern gneiss is not found anywhere to the
westward, each range of schist is in its place ; the alterna-
tion is that of successive interstratified and interfolded
beds of limestone and schist ; and the metamorphism
decreases in grade westward with remarkable regularity,
and not only in Berkshire, but all the way through the
southern half of Vermont, as well as to the south of
Berkshire.
" I hope you are not intending to publish your con-
clusions ; indeed I cannot suppose this, as you know how
dangerous it is to work out geological problems with three
thousand miles between you and the region to be investi-
gated. After your very important paper on the Scottish
Highlands was republished in our Journal, I had occasion
to publish the first part of my article ' On Taconic Rocks
and Stratigraphy,' in vol. xxix., 1885, p. 205, giving
with it a map of the southern part of Berkshire and of
northeastern Connecticut; and in it I allude, on p. 442,
to the impossibility of the long overthrusts such as you
have in Scotland. I think I sent you a copy of this
paper. I shall publish the remaining part this season,
and will then send a copy of the whole together.
" Our Taconic limestone consists in Vermont and near
Poughkeepsie of limestones of Lower Silurian and Upper
Cambrian — united in one mass, fossils of Upper Cam-
brian, calciferous, and Trenton occurring in it. After
reading this letter if you will then run over my article
just now referred to (in vol. xxix., p. 206), you will be
able to judge on the Taconic questions; but better still
after you have the remaining part of my paper,
339
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
" I should be pleased to have this letter used to en-
lighten any geologist interested in our American geologi-
cal problems."
DANA TO GEIKIE
" New Haven, Aug. 21, 1888.
" I take pleasure in introducing to you Prof. Henry S.
Williams, of Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. — an able
geologist and paleontologist. He proposes to be present
at the meeting of the International Geological Congress.
Whatever questions connected with American geology
may come up there, or may be occupying your own mind,
you will find him full of knowledge and of excellent
judgment."
DANA TO GEIKIE
" Nkw Haven, Jan. 4, 1889.
" It will be a great pleasure to me to welcome you
again to our New Haven. I have received your very
valuable memoir on the Volcanic History of Tertiary
Great Britain, and will soon have an appreciative notice
of it in the Journal of Science. It is a strange fact in
geology that the eastern border of the Atlantic should
have so contrasted with the western.
' ' Before long I shall be able to send you a complete
copy of my Hawaiian memoir. The long delays between
the parts have come from the pressure of contributors for
space in the Journal; and for the same reason it will be
April or May before the closing part, on the rocks of the
region, by my son, is published.
" The International Geological Congress in London
acted wisely in its appointment of the American Com-
mittee. The prefix Provisional, which at first looked
ominous, turned out to be most fortunate. A simple
vote at the first meeting of each of us for twenty-five
names on one ballot resulted most quietly in electing
twenty good men, with the three obnoxious ones left
out."
DANA TO GEIKIE
"New Haven, February 4, 1890.
"You know of Sterry - Hunt's paper on Cambrian
History. ... It has had a bad perverting influence
340
LETTERS TO A. GEIKIE
in this country, leading geologists generally to misunder-
stand the Sedgwick-Murchison relations and condemn
the Geological Society for its course. In view of it, and
the general ignorance on the subject, I have been led to
prepare a simple historical account of the labors of the
two geologists, — year by year, up to the time of Sedg-
wick's paper of 1854. The article will appear in the
March number of the American Journal. I wish that it
might have had your revision, but hope that it contains
no important errors. I have endeavored to do full justice
to both of the eminent geologists. I send you a copy in
advance of publication. My desire will be fully accom-
plished if it put right ideas into our American geologists.
But if it can be in your opinion of any service in England,
I have no objection to its republication at the time of
its appearance here- — you making any emendations in it
which may be needed. . . . "
DANA TO GEIKIE
" New Haven, April 18, 1890.
" I have just sent to the post, addressed to the Geo-
logical Society, a copy of each of my new works just pub-
lished, — the volcano book and the new edition of my
Coral and Coral Islcmds. In the latter you will find a
strong argument for Darwin in the map of the Louisiade
Archipelago, and some new facts from other sources. I
have a map of the region of Honolulu (Oahu) in the
Appendix showing the positions of the artesian bor-
ings. . . ."
Among the younger correspondents of Professor Dana
in his later Hfe, he valued highly Professor John W.
Judd, Professor of Geology in the Royal School of
Mines, for eight years Secretary of the Geological So-
ciety of London, and subsequently its President. Three
of the letters addressed to him by Professor Dana are
here given, — all written toward the close of Dana's life.
341
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
DANA TO JOHN W. JUDD
" New Haven, September 4, 1891.
" My long silence has been owing to impaired health
from overwork in the early autumn. Your very import-
ant article on quartz I was unable to notice in the Jour-
nal, and my son put the facts in the new edition of my
Mineralogy which he has now about two thirds through
the press. Since then I have been doing nothing until
recently, when, owing to improvement, I was able to
finish a paper half-ready before — a copy of which I now
send you. The paper will show you that I find it hard
to be idle.
" Before reading the paper you would do well to look
at page 20 of my Manual of Geology, where there is a
map showing the position of our West Rock ridge, and
its relations to the other Jura-Trias trap ridges of the
Connecticut Valley between New Haven and Hartford
(thirty-six miles). You will note that the section pre-
sented in Plate VH. is an east and west, or transverse,
section. North and south sections of the west side are
common. As there is no evidence whatever of displace-
ments in the trap, there is no doubt over the conclusion
that the sandstone was upturned before the outflow of the
trap. I wish you had come out to the International Con-
gress, that you might have seen 'our trap ridges, etc.
The Congress adjourned Tuesday, and Wednesday morn-
ing at nine o'clock a party of about eighty commenced
the excursion to the Yellowstone Park and other western
regions of interest. I was not well enough to be present,
although in a condition to do some work at home. My
troubles are a fatigued head rather than body, my limbs
still serving me well."
DANA TO JOHN W. JUDD
"New Haven, December 4, 1891.
" It was a delight to me to receive your kind letter of
the 22d of September and to find myself thus again in
communication with the outer world. Since then I have
been gaining slowly, and now have out another paper on
the Connecticut Valley Rocks. In this paper I present a
342
LETTERS TO J. W. JUDD
photo-engraved copy of Percival's map of the trap-region.
It shows well the narrow features of the belt and their
relations. There are no broad streams exposed to view
over large surfaces : nothing but narrow linear outcrops,
with sandstone covering the eastern slope and underneath
the western front. I send you a copy of the photograph
from which Plate VII. in my August paper was taken.
The thinning of the trap sheet westward is only photo-
graphic error; for it keeps its thickness of two hun-
dred to two hundred and fifty feet quite to the edge of
the western columnar front, and moreover the upper sur-
face continues to rise westward to the edge. Since the
distance of outflow was not over five or six hundred
yards, this great thickness and the upward rise of surface
could not have been a fact unless the outflow mentioned
had been under cover of the sandstone. The views look
like a sub-aerial overflow; but had this, been true, the
stream, it appears to me, would have flattened out to
half its thickness and less."
DANA TO JOHN W. JUDD
" New Haven, February 19, 1892.
" Your kind letter and the photograph were received
at the close of last week and gave me great pleasure. It
is very gratifying to have the degree of personal know-
ledge of a friend which a photograph gives when this is
all that is within reach.
" I have through life found great satisfaction in being
virtually an Englishman, and have rejoiced in, and won-
dered over, the grandeur and power of the British nation.
Your cordial recognition of our relationship is most
cordially reciprocated."
VI
FROM OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENTS
The first two letters selected from occasional corre-
spondents are those which were written by the great
Swedish chemist, after he had received the first and (eight
343
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
years later) the second edition of Dana's Mineralogy.
When Berzelius first wrote, he was at the height of his
reputation and fifty-seven years old. He continued to
hold the highest standing among his contemporaries until
his death in 1848.
BERZELIUS TO DANA*
" Stockholm, le 14 sept., 1836.
" J'ai eu I'honneur de recevoir la lettre que vous m'avez
address^ sous la date du 4 Nov. 1835, mais elle ne m'est
arriv^e qu'un peu tard et encore j'dtois en voyage
lorsqu'on la remit chez moi. Vous aurez done la bont6
d'excuser le d61ai de ma r^ponse.
" Vous avez demand^ mon opinion sur I'essai de no-
menclature que vous m'avez fait I'honneur de me com-
muniquer. Je pense, Monsieur, que cette nomenclature
est bonne et cons^quente ; mais je crains qu' il n'y a des
choses 1^ dedans qui s'opposent k sa reception g6n6rale,
meme par ceux qui la regardent comme bonne.
" II serait peut-dtre plus facile de faire adopter une
nomenclature chimique entiferement nouvelle, oii il n'y
auroit rien de I'ancienne, que de faire passer une ameliora-
tion un peu gdn^rale dans I'ancienne. Pour faire une
nomenclature nouvelle, il ne s'y mele que des considera-
tions purement scientifiques, mais lorsqu'on veut changer
une qui est d6jk regue, il y k une foule d'autres considera-
tions bien plus difficiles k saisir et &, remplir, si toute-fois
on la souhaite adoptde. Une de ces considerations est par
ex. de ne point employer un terme de la nomenclature en
usage dans une autre acception que celle qui est regue.
Je considfere votre idee de dire {e.g.^ sulfoxas et molybdo-
sulphus comme tr^s ingenieuse, et conforme k de bons
principes, mais certes aucun chimiste, frangais ou anglais,
n'admettroit jamais d'echanger de cette manifere la de-
nomination de ses anciens sulphates. Quant k moi, je
* The letters of Berzelius are not always in a clear handwriting, and the
French is that of a Swede writing according to the orthography of many
years ago. These facts must excuse some infelicities which an acute eye is
likely to discover.
344
LETTERS FROM BERZELIUS
n'ai que deux observations d^rive^s de ma mani^re k moi
de voir, k faire par rapport h votre nomenclature.
" La premiere porte sur I'emploie du nom Anamphi-
gena. Je crois que cette denomination n'est point bien
choisie, puisque d'abord on doit aussi rarement que pos-
sible se servir d'un manque de caractere comme caractfere
principale; et ensuite, je crois que lorsqu'on emploie le
mot amphigfene dans une signification aussi 6tendue
comme vous I'avez fait, un plus grand nombre de corps
sont des amphig^nes, que ceux que vous entendez sous
cette denomination. P. ex. lorsque trois dl^mens se com-
binent k la manifere inorganique, on peut toujours con-
sid^rer la substance la plus electronegative, comme
partagee entre les deux autres: p. ex. I'arseniure d'an-
timoine se combine avec I'arseniure d'argent ou de
plomb, le stannure de bismute avec celui de plomb, etc.
II y a Ik une amphigenie toute aussi decidee comme
dans une combinaison de deux chlorures.
Ma seconde observation s'allie etroitement k la pre-
miere. Elle porte sur ce que vous contez le chlore, le
brome, avec un mot les corps que je nomme des halo-
gfenes, parmi les corps amphigfenes. J'aurois plutot
partage votre manifere de voir, si vous auriez fait I'inverse,
c'est k d. si vous auriez compte le soufre, le phosphore,
le nitrogene, etc., parmi les halogfenes, en disant que ces
corps simples peuvent produire des corps halogfenes en se
It ttT "'.
combinant ensemble, p. ex. S, F, P, N, etc. Mais il est
claire qu' alors leurs combinaisons salines avec les metaux
auroient ete de deux espfeces, dont I'une est divisible en
acides et en bases, et I'autre en metal et en corps halo-
gfene, et c'est pour marquer cette grandissime difference
quej'ai partage les corps les plus eminemment eiectro-
negatifs en halogfenes et en amphigfenes.
" Mr. de Bonnsdorff est le premier qui a annonce des
vues contraires k ces idees; il considfere, comme vous, les
sels simples haloides comme des acides et comme des
bases, et leurs sels doubles comme correspondants aux
oxisels simples (c'est k dire: non doubles). Pour lui le
chlorure de potassium est un corps analogue k la potasse.
En vain je lui repute, qu' analogie de composition n'est
point analogie de proprietes; que la classification en
alkalis ou bases et en acides est tiree des proprietes de
345
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
ces corps, sans 6gard au nombre des 616mens. J'ai beau
lui r^p^ter qu' entre la potasse, dou^e de caractferes alka-
lins si ^nergiques, et le chlorure de potassium, substance
saline si ^minemment neutre, il y a une difference ^norme
de propri^t^s. II me r^ponde toujours que le dernifere est
un alkali tout aussi bien que la potasse, puisque, comme
ce dernier, il est compost de potassium et d'un corps
61ectron6gatif ^nergique, et pour lui le chlorure platinique
et le sulfate platinique ne sont point des corps dou^s de
propri^t^s analogues, puisque le premier est un acide et
le dernier un sel. Je lui ai demands son opinion sur le
sel neutre cristallis6 KCl + MgCl ; il le considfere comme
la reunion de deux alkalis, puisqu'il ne voudrait pas nom-
mer le chlorure magn6sique un acide. II rejette done
I'analogie de ce sel double avec celui de KS + Mg S, qui
y corresponde. Le KCl + FeCl il nomme Chloroferris
Kalcius, malgr6 que le FeCl ne soit gufere moins 61ectro-
positif que le MgCl. J'ignore comment il considfere les
sels doubles cristallis6s, composes de chlorure de calcium et
d'oxalate de chaux ainsi que d'ac^tate de chaux, mais cer-
tes quelleque denomination, fondle sur sa manifere de voir,
qu'il leur donne, il se verra oblig6 de les tirer de la classe
des sels doubles, oil ils appartiennent par leurs caractferes,
pour les placer auprfes d'autres corps que n'ont point des
propriet^s analogues. Mais dans la chimie ce sont les
propri6t6s des corps et non pas la composition, quantita-
tive ou qualitative, qui nous mettent k I'^tat de les dis-
tinguer les uns des autres; il faut done, lorsqu'on veut
classer, pour faciliter I'^tude, se tenir strictement h ce que
nous pouvons saisir, et ne pas le sacrifier k des circon-
stances qui ne se laissent point saisir que par suite de
raisonnement. Si on se sert pour classification des pro-
pridt^s chimiques, rien que 1' analogie de propri^tds doit
etre employe. Veut on classer d'aprfes la composition,
classification facile k faire mais difficile k employer avec
profit, il faut laisser de c6te les propriet^s dans la classi-
fication; mais la science n'en deviendrait que d'autant
plus difificile k etudier et difficile k dtre retenue. Or done
si j'ai raison, en disant que la potasse et lasoude ne sont
point des corps analogues aux chlorures de potassium et de
sodium, on aura tort de considerer le chlore, le brome,
en un mot les corps dites halog^nes, comme etant des corps
amphig6nes ou analogues k I'oxygfene du soufre, etc.
LETTERS FROM BERZELIUS
" Vous souhaitez que j'envoyasse votre essai pour 6tre
ins^rd dans quelque journal scientifique europ^en. Je
le communiquerai par consequent k Mr. Poggendorff h
Berlin, r^dacteur des 'Annalen der Physlk und Chemie,'
le meilleur journal scientifique que nous poss6dons.
" Je vous prie d'accepter I'exemplaire ci-jointe de mes
Tables chimiques comme un t6moignage de la considera-
tion distingu6e avec laquelle j'ai I'honneur d'etre," etc.
BERZELIUS TO DANA
" Stockholm, le 22 nov., 1844.
" Je vous remercie de tout mon cceur pour le nouvel
tdmoignage de votre bienveillance envers moi, que vous
venez de me donner en m'envoyant la nouvelle edition
de votre Syst^me de mineralogie, dont vous me fitez
I'honneur de m'envoyer la premiere en 1837. M""- Alger,
en comptant probableroent sur un consensus presumtus,
m'en a envoy^ de votre part un autre exemplaire, qui j'ai
pris la liberte de presenter k I'Academie des Sciences.
Votre nouvelle edition, qui se tient au courant des
progrfes de la mineralogie jusqu' aux jours de sa publica-
tion, sera d'un grand prix pour nous autres mineralogistes
europeens, puisque nous n'avons point de traite complet
de mineralogie, qui ne soit pas dejk d'une date un peu'
ancienne. J'aime assez la nomenclature latine que vous
avez essaye d'introduire dejk dans la premifere edition.
Cette manifere empruntee de I'histoire naturelle des etres
organises, pourroit peut-etre en mineralogie nous sauver
de cette synonymie qui si sou vent nous embrouille. J'y
entrevoie un moyen de denomination pour ces nombreuses
combinaisons oil tantot un element eiectronegatif, tantot
un element eiectropositif est substitue par un autre, sans
que cette substitution change, d'une manifere bien mar-
quee, les caracteres exterieures du mineral.
" Je vous prie d'agreer un exemplaire de la derniere
edition allemande de mon traite du chalumeau (de 1844)
que j'enverrais aux soins de Mr. Silliman pour vous etre
remis. "
As Dana's work in mineralogy received the serious
consideration of Berzelius, so his studies of the Crustacea
347
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
— his contributions to carcinology — were welcomed by
Milne-Edwards, the distinguished French zoologist.
He published three volumes, and an atlas, on the natural
history of the Crustacea, between 1834 and 1840 ; and
several years later three volumes more on the coral ani-
mals, or polyps properly so called. He was therefore
interested in Dana's work from two points of view.
H. MILNE-EDWARDS TO DANA
"Paris, 10 Aug., 1843.
" Although I had not yet the pleasure of correspond-
ing with you I had long considered you as an old ac-
quaintance, for a sort of fraternity exists between men
who cultivate the same science, and the perusal of your
valuable papers on siphonostoma had shown me that
carcinology may now expect to reap as much benefit
from the labor of American naturalists as from the ob-
servations of any European observer. It will therefore
afford me much satisfaction if I can be of any service to
you.
" Since the printing of my work on Crustacea I have
published an article on Serolis and the description of
some new Decapoda (in the Archives du Museum) ; I have
also under press a descriptive catalogue of the Crustacea
found on the coast of Chili by M. Dorbigny, and if you
will let me know by what channel I can forward them, I
will with great pleasure send you a copy of these papers
or of any of those which I have previously published. I
can also give you a copy of a paper on Limnadia, pub-
lished in my zoological journal {Annates des Sciences
Naturelles) by one of our young naturalists here (M.
Joly). I must also point out to you a series of papers on
Amphipoda, Lern^a, Hippolyte, etc., published by Kroger
in the transactions of the Academy of Copenhagen and in
a Danish journal edited by that naturalist. You will also
find some new species of Cyclopidse described in the last
volume of the Transactions of the Entomological Society
of London, and I have published a series of about eighty
plates representing all the principal types of Crustacea
348
LETTERS FROM MILNE-EDWARDS
and belonging to our great edition of Cuvier's Regne
Animal.
Of late little has been written on living corals. Dor-
bigny has figured some Chilian species of Sertularia,
Flustra, etc. (in Voyage dans l' Amirique du Sud), and
Nordmann has made some interesting observations on
the structure of Cellularia (see Demidoff, Voyage en
Crim^e). Ehrenberg's paper on the classification of
corals was printed in the transactions of the Academy of
Berlin, and only a few separate copies were distributed
by the author; I have, without success, tried to find one
for you, and if you are not able to procure it otherwise,
I will have a manuscript copy made for you. You are in
all probability acquainted with Goldfuss's great work in
which so many fossil corals are described and figured.
A few numbers of a similar work on the fossil corals of
France, by M. Michelin, have lately appeared, and some
species have also been described in Murchison's book on
the Silurian formation.
" Esper's work on Zoophytes can easily be procured
here — my copy cost three hundred francs — and if you
wish it, I will direct my bookseller to get one for you
from Germany. In short, if, in that way or in any other,
I can be of any service to you, I shall be very happy in
doing soj and must beg you will not hesitate to dispose
fully of me. If you wish to exchange any of your dupli-
cates of non-described Crustacea or insects for European,
Asiatic, or African species, I will also negotiate the busi-
ness with our national museum."
MILNE-EDWARDS TO DANA
" Paris, Jardin du Roi, le 20 dec, 1845.
" Je regrette beaucoup de n'avoir pu me procurer plut6t
les renseignements que vous m'avez demands relative-
ment k quelques uns des polypiers d^crits par Lamarck,
et j'espfere que ma lettre vous parviendra encore en temps
utile. Je ne puis cependant vous donner tous les details
dont vous me dites avoir besoin, car plusieurs des espfeces
en question ne se trouvent pas dans notre Museum. La
collection de Lamarck 6tait la propri6t6 particulifere de
ce naturaliste et aprfes sa mort a 6t6 vendu au Due de
Rivoli, qui plusieurs ann6es aprfes la ced6e au Museum,
349
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
mais dans cet intervale beaucoup d'6chantillons ont 6t6
perdus et de ce nombre est I'Asircsa ringens de Lamarck
et V A. favosa.
" Le Pocillapora stigmataria de Lamarck n'est pas un
veritable Pocillapora, mais une espfece faussement etabli6
par ce naturaliste d'aprfes un fragment de Madrepore
roul6 et en fort mauvais ^tat, qui parait etre trfes voisin
du M. laxa et surtout d'une espfece designee par M. de
Blanville sous le nom de M. longicyathus.
" L'^chantillon qui a servi k Lamarck pour la descrip-
tion de son Astrwa obliqua est aussi en si mauvais 6tat de
conservation qu'il me semble difficile d'en determiner le
veritable caractfere ; je suis cependant port6 k croire que
c'est un fragment d'explanaire elev6 en crdte de fagon a
presenter deux rangs de loges obliques et adosser I'une
k I'autre ; les loges ressemblent beaucoup a celles de 1' A.
myriophthalma.
Dans Y Astraa reticularis les cloisons interloculaires
sont trfes ^paisses comparativement au diameter des loges
et trfes compactes ; elle s'^lfevent aussi beaucoup audessus
du fond de loges qui est 6troit, de fagon que la section
verticale du polypier aurait a peu prfes la figure suivante
[figure omitted]. II est d'ailleurs a noter que V Astrcea
reticularis de MM. Quoy et Gaimard n'est pas du tout
I'espfece designee sous ce nom par Lamarck. Un de nos
aides naturalistes au mus6um, M. Rousseau, s'est assure
que ce n'est autre chose que VA. dipsacea. Ainsi que
vous le faites remarquer, avec beaucoup de raison, les ob-
servations de ces deux voyageurs sont trfes superficielles
et ont grand besoin de verification. Malheureusement il
en est de m^me pour presque tout ce qui est public ici
aux frais du Ministfere de la Marine, car dans ce service
on ne veut embarquer abord des batiments de I'^tat en
quality de naturalistes, qui des chirurgiens de marine
lesquels sont ordinairement d'une ignorance complete
en tout ce qui touche a la science; or, comme vous le
savez trfes bien, on n'improvise pas un zoologiste.
" Je suis heureux d'apprendre que vos recherches dans
I'hemisphere sud ont €tt si fructueuse et que vous etes en
mesure d'en publier prochainement les resultats. Quant
au travail g6n6ral sur la classe des Polypes, que j'ai promis
de publier dans Suites a Buffon, je ne I'ai pas encore com-
mencer et lorsque je le redigerai je ne manquerai pas de
350
LETTERS FROM MILNE-EDWARDS
mettre a profit vos observations sur cette partie encore si
mal connu de la zoologie. Le mot Alcyodendrum que
vous me proposez de substituer a celui d'alcyonidie me
parait trfes bon.
" Adieu, mon cher confrere ; disposez librement de moi
si je puis vous etre utile a quelque chose; mais ne vous
etonez pas si je tarde quelquefois h vous r^pondre, car je
voyage souvent."
MILNE-EDWARDS TO DANA
" Paris, le 2 juillet, 1846.
" J'ai lu avec beaucoup d'int^ret le volume sur la classe
des Polypes que vous avez bien voulu m'envoyer et je
vous prie d'agr^er mes remerciements pour ce souvenir,
auquel j'ai 6t6 tr^s sensible. J'ai vu avec satisfaction
que vos opinions relativement aux questions nombreuses
que soul^ve I'histoire de ces animaux, s'accordent g^n-
^ralement avec celles que je m'6tais form^e, et afin de faire
connaitre votre travail aux zoologistes fran^ais je me suis
empress^ d'inserer dans mon recueil (des Annales des
Sciences Naturelles) le tableau de classification a I'aide
duquel vous avez rdsum^ vos vues touchant les affinit^s
naturelles des divers Polypes proprement dit. Je suis
^galement fort reconnaissant pour Tatlas, dont vous
m'annoncez I'envoi; je ne I'ai pas encore re9U, mais dfes
que ce grand travail me sera parvenue, j'en indiquerai le
contenu aux lecteurs des Annales. Je serai aussi fort
d^sireux de pouvoir de mon cot^ vous envoyer quelques
petites publications et je vous prierai de me dire com-
ment je dois vous les adresser. Si pour faciliter vos tra-
vaux sur les Crustac^s je puis vous etre utile soit en vous
donnant des renseignements soit en vous envoyant des
^chantillons dont notre Museum peut disposer, je vous
prierai aussi de m'en informer et d'etre persuade que ce
sera pour moi un plaisir si je puis vous etre agr^able en
quoi que ce soit."
"Paris, le 20 sept., 1847.
" La Socidt^ Philomatique de Paris, a laquelle j'ai
rendu compte de votre grand et important ouvrage sur
3SI
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
les Zoophytes, m'a charg^ de vous transmettre le diploma
de membre correspondant qu'elle vous a d^cernd dans
une de ses derniferes stances. Elle est heureuse de voir
qu'aujourdhui les sciences naturelles sont cultivds avec
un 6gal succfes des deux cotds de I'atlantique et elle esp^re
que vous la tiendrez au courant de vos travaux ultdrieurs.
" Permettez moi aussi d'ajouter que c'est avec un grand
plaisir que je remplis cette mission et que je ne negligerai
aucune occasion pour faire connaitre a mes compatriots
les observations nouvelles et interessantes dont vous en-
richissez la zoologie. Je m'occupe en ce moment de la
redaction du traits g^n^ral sur les polypiers recents et
fossiles, dont je vous avals d6jkparl6, et j'auraisouvent a
y citer votre nom de la manifere la plus ^logieuse. L'ab-
sence des planches, aux quelles vous renvoyez souvent
dans votre texte, m'a empechd de profiter autant que je
I'aurais desir6 de vos observations sur la structure int6-
rieure des Astr^es, &c., &c. ; mais vous avez bien voulu
m'annoncer I'envoi prochain de votre atlas et dfes que je
I'aurai sans les yeux, je me propose des ^tudier avec la
plus s6rieuse attention. II est probable qu'un grand
nombre des espfeces, qui actuellement passent pour nou-
velles dans notre collection, se trouvent d^crites dans votre
livre et qu'a I'aide de vos planches il me sera facile d'y ap-
pliquer vos noms; mais s'il me reste a cet dgard quelqu'
incertitude, je demanderai la secours de vos lumiferes. "
" Paris, ce 7 octobre, 1849.
" Ayant 6t6 absent de Paris presque tout cet automne,
je viens seulement de recevoir I'interessant envoi que vous
avez bien voulu me faire. Votre magnifique atlas de
zoophytologie est un digne complement du grand travail
que vous avez d6j5, public sur le meme sujet et que je me
plais a citer souvent comme I'un des livres les plus im-
portans dont cette branche de I'histoire naturelle ait 6t6
enrichir de nos jours. Je dois aussi vocer felicit^r sur le
precede graphique que vous avez employ^ ; en esquissant
la forme g6n6rale de vos polypiers et en repr^sentant avec
detail une portion de ces masses compos6es d'une multi-
tude d'eiemens semblables, vous avez satisfait a tous les
besoins de la science, sans vous vous laisser entrainer
dans un luxe de gravure qui est sans utility. Je regrette
352
LETTER FROM H. DE SAUSSURE
que tous les grands voyages, publics chez nous aux frais
de I'dtat, n'aient pas 6t6 composes avec le meme soin et
executes avec le bon esprit dont vous aurez fait preuve
dans cette occasion.
"C'est aussi avec grand plaisir que je vous voistravailler
si activement a nous faire connaitre les Crustac^s du grand
oc6an. Cette partie de la zoologie a fait de grande pro-
grfes depuis la publication de mon ouvrage et vous alliez
y imprimer une nouvelle et heureuse impulsion, car le
naturaliste qui a si bien observe les zoophytes ne peut
manquer de rendre de veritables services k la science
chaque fois qu'il dirigera ses investigations vers un but
nouveau."
FROM H. DE SAUSSURE
The author of the next letter is the celebrated ento-
mologist, author of Etudes sur la famille des Vespides ;
grandson of Horace B6n6dict de Saussure, author of
Voyages dans les Alpes ; and nephew of Thdodore de
Saussure, author of Recherches chimiques sur la Vege-
tation.
" Geneve, 3 juillet, 1857.
" C'est avec le sentiment de la plus haute satisfaction
et d'une vivre reconnaisance que j'ai regu votre lettre du
29 mai pas I'entremise obligeant de Mr. Fay. Charg^
du department entomologique du mus6e de Geneve, je
m'occupe d'en classer les Crustac^s qui sont jusqu' k
ce jour rest^s dans le plus beau d^sordre, et votre ouvrage
me sera pour cela de la plus grand utility. C'est du reste
un livre indispensable i tous les musses dont le manque
se fait d'autant plus sentir qu'il reprdsente I'dtat actuel
de la sciences, ce qu'aucun autre ouvrage ne fait.
" Je suis bien d'accord avec vous sur les points que
vous me signalez, mais je crois qu'il n'est pas possible de
conserver les myriapodes parmi les crustac^s comme le
font les allemands. Je ne sais si vous I'avez fait et je me
r^jouis bien d 'avoir votre superbe livre sous la main, afin
de n'etre plus arrets dans le travail qui concerne ces der-
niers animaux, dont j'ai rapports une trfes belle s6rie du
Mexique.
'3 353
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
" Je regrette que vous avez adress6 votre ouvrage h. la
soci^t^ de Physique, etc., plutot qu' k moi personelle-
ment, parceque les livres qui arrivent k cette destination
sont remis h. la bibliothfeque publique, d'ou il est trfes
difficile de se les faire communiquer h domicile. J'avais
cru devoir en faire la demande plutdt pour la soci^td que
pour moi, parceque j'avais pens6 qu' k Washington on
serait plutot dispose d'envoyer un livre k une bibliothfeque
qu' k un particulier. Je dois bien vous avertir que la
soci6t6 de Physique n'a rien d'envoyer en ^change que
ses propres publications {Mdmoires de la Soc. de Physique,
etc., de Geneve, 4°) qui sont mel^s d'histoire naturelle,
de physique, d'astronomie, etc. lis contiennent, entre
autres, les m^moires pal6ontologiques de M. F. T. Pictet
que vous ne possidez peut-^tre pas. J'ai fait, dans la
dernifere stance de la soci6t^, connaitre k mes collegues
les d-marches que j'avais faites aux fins d'obtenir votre
ouvrage sur les crustac6s, et la r^ponse favorable que
j'avais obtenir de vous. Cependant si vous consentiez a
me laisser poss6der ces volumes k moi personnellement,
vous n'auriez qu' k m'^crire une lettre ad hoc pour
me dire que c'est k tnoi personnellement que vous envoyez
vos livres, et cette attestation suffirait, d'autantmieuxque
de malheureuses chicanes gouvernmentales et politiques
ont mis une barrifere entre la soci^t^ et la bibliotheque
de la villa. Ma bibliothfeque est du reste ouverte k tout
le monde, et comme je suis pour la moment la seule
personne qui s'occupe de crustac6s k Genfeve, votre livre
serait aussi bien plac6 chez moi qu' k la bibliothfeque. "
FROM CHARLES LYELL
" 53 Harley St., London, N., March 28, 1863.
" I had already obtained your first edition from Mr.
Triibnei when I received your kind note saying that you
had sent me as a present a copy of your second. I waited
till this arrived to acknowledge it, and I have only re-
ceived it two days ago. It looks to me a very handsome
book, and I shall take it with me to read in my Easter
holidays. Hitherto I have had no time to peruse it,
having been busy preparing a second edition of my An-
tiquity of Man, a copy of which shall be sent to you as
354
LETTER FROM CHARLES LYELL
soon as it is ready, which I hope will be in less than a
fortnight.
I have made a good many corrections and given a list
of the most important ones in the Appendix for the
benefit of those who possess the first edition. As to my
Manual, it has been out of print more than a year and
much asked for, but I found it more agreeable to indulge
in a new book, and when I shall find time to re-edit the
old one, I cannot say. In the meantime I am glad you
have started a Manual, with American illustrations, by
which we shall all profit.
" Your theory of the hands of man being at the service
of the head and not wanted for locomotion struck me
much, though the comparison with beings so remote as
the crustaceans appeared rather dangerous. I have al-
ways doubted the quadrumanous character of the an-
thropoid apes as a mark of inferiority, and have felt sure
that had man possessed an opposable great toe, which
might, for aught I see, be reconcilable with an erect
position, there would have been no end in Bridgewater
treatises of praises of the Creator for having given four
hands for the service of the head when we were not
moving from place to place.
" Allow me again to thank you for your new edition,
about which, when I have studied it, you will, I hope,
let me write again. I was truly glad to hear that you
had been able so vigorously to resume work.
" Darwin is not well, and talks of another water cure.
He might, I think, dispense with this violent remedy if
he could lie fallow for some months."
The next three letters illustrate Dana's wide-spread
fame. Unexpected tributes from Humboldt, Gladstone,
and Thiers.
S. F. B. MORSE TO DANA
A word from Baron Humboldt
"Berlin, Prussia, August 25, 1856.
" I cannot refrain from occupying a brief moment to
acquaint you with an incident which occurred on
355
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Saturday on my interesting interview with Baron Hum-
boldt. I had scarcely seated myself, after a most flattering
recognition and kind reception by him, when he spoke
of the science of America as commanding at the present
time much admiration in Europe, and, in connection
with the subject, he spoke most enthusiastically of your
work, characterizing it as the most splendid contribution
to science of the present day. I could not but think that
such an opinion from such a man must be gratifying to
you, as it certainly was to me, and so I have taken the
liberty to communicate it to you."
WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE TO DANA
" Dec. 28, 1885.
" I have had the honor of knowing several members of
your family. I met your own name as that of a recog-
nized authority in the last edition of Phillips's Manual of
Geology ; and it gives me particular pleasure to receive
the excellent paper which you have sent me, and of which
I have just had time to make use in preparing for the
forthcoming number of the Nineteenth Century my rejoin-
der to Professor Huxley's criticisms. I shall do myself
the honor to send you in due time a separate copy of the
next article, and with cordial thanks for your kindness I
have the honor to remain," etc., etc.
DANA TO GLADSTONE
" New Haven, Jan. 22, 1886.
" It gave me great pleasure to receive your letter of
the 28th ult., and also to have from you a copy of your
admirable reply to the eminent professor. Your argu-
ments bearing on the days of Genesis, from the first of
the six to the last, met all reasonable objections that
science can make. I may add that it is a gratification
to be sustained in all important points by your judgment.
The recognition of the nebula theory in the interpreta-
tion appears to be strongly favored by the Septuagint
translation — the earth was unformed and invisible."
356
REMARKS OF THIERS
ROBERT C. WINTHROP TO DANA
An interview with Thiers
" Brookline, Mass., 19 Sept., 1877.
" The recent death of Thiers, of which I have just been
reading some of the notices in foreign journals, has re-
minded me of something which will be interesting to you,
and which I ought, perhaps, to' have communicated to
you sooner.
" In the summer of 1875, being in Paris, I dined with
Thiers. I was with him at his house on two or three
other occasions. During one of our interviews he talked
about science and scientific theories. I had referred, I
believe, to the then recent death of Agassiz, and to his
resistance to the evolution doctrine, of which I thought
Thiers seemed an earnest opponent. I may have misap-
prehended him in this, as he talked only in his own
language, and with great rapidity and some indistinct-
ness.
" But suddenly he turned and inquired, ' Do you know
Monsieur Dana, a professor at New Haven ? ' I was
glad to be able to tell him that I did, but that I had not
met him as often as I could have wished, owing to his
residence in a different State.
" He then said that he had recently read some work of
yours, probably the Corals and Coral Islands, with the
greatest gratification, and that there was no American
scientist for whom he had a higher respect. I am by no
means sure that he limited his remark to American scien-
tific writers. He seemed greatly impressed with your
views, and repeatedly expressed his warm admiration for
them ; and I remember well that before I left him, on
one of these occasions, he said : ' If you meet Monsieur
Dana, present my compliments and respects to him.'
" Possibly you had sent him a copy of one of your
works and he may not have acknowledged it, for I believe
he rarely acknowledged anything. But if he picked it up
accidentally, or sought it out purposely, and read it, his
compliment is all the more notable.
" I observe, in the accounts I have been reading to-
day, that in a paper supplementary to his will, giving
3S7
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
some account of his religious as well as political convic-
tions, he says that ' Since he has lived in retirement, he
has thought much about religion, and has become con-
vinced that it is the basis of every organized society. He
will therefore die believing in a God, one and eternal, the
Creator of all things, whose mercy he implores for his
soul.'
" I quote this from a Paris letter in the New York
World ; I do not vouch for its accuracy.
" He may have been composing this paper, or at least
thinking on this topic, when I saw him, as he said very
much the same thing to me, in the same conversation in
which he referred to you and your writings.
" You may thus, it may be, have aided the faith of a
great French statesman.
" If I had been able to attend the meeting of the Pea-
body Trustees in June, I should have been sure to tell
you of Thiers's compliment, and to have communicated
his respects to you. But it is only the reading of this
extract from his posthumous letter, which has recalled
the subject of his remarks during the same conversation.
" I am sure you will be interested sufficiently in what
I have written to make due allowance for so long and
offhand a note. You may have had the same account
from Thiers himself, or from other sources."
To this letter of Mr. Winthrop Dana replied :
" Your letter of the 19th has been received, and I
hasten to acknowledge your kindness in thus writing me.
Its contents were a source of great surprise and also of
deep gratification. I must first thank you for the very
cordial expressions of your letter, and then for its revela-
tions.
" I had not had the slightest suspicion that Thiers had
ever heard of my name or of my works, or that I had
written anything which could attract the attention of
the great statesman. Unsought praise from such a
source is certainly a rich reward for labor.
" Your supposition, based on the turn in the conversa-
tion you had with him, that my writings had even had an
influence on his religious belief, I wish I could think
358
DANA'S LETTER ON CANKER-WORMS
true. The work of mine directly leading the mind in
that direction is my Manual of Geology, especially pages
578, 579- I should like to believe that in that statement
of the teachings of geological history, Thiers had found
a convincing argument. But it is happiness enough to
know that, however taught or influenced, his great mind
and soul reached the truth and rested in it. Thanks
again to you for your letter.
" It would give us all great pleasure to see you here at
another meeting of our Peabody Museum Trustees. Our
building, I think, will have your full approval, alike for
its architecture and its fitness for museum purposes. It
has been finished and furnished without exceeding the
hundred thousand dollars appropriated to it by our great
benefactor, Mr. Peabody — not even a debt of ten dollars
being left for the future to contend with. We hope that
at least by another summer we shall have the pleasure of
waiting on you through its various rooms."
VII
SEVERAL LETTERS OF DANA
TO THE NEW HAVEN PALLADIUM
Fighting the Canker- Worms
" New Haven, June 4, 1864.
" The plague of the canker-worm is upon us, and per-
haps, therefore, a few words on the best mode of averting
the evil in the future will receive attention.
" The use of whale oil in lead troughs may be made a
perfect prevention. We propose to explain the reason
why, and the precautions necessary for success. The
canker-worm, as it is called, is the caterpillar or young of
a kind of miller. The eggs are laid upon the trunk and
the branches of the trees, mainly in the autumn before
the ground is frozen and in the spring after it has begun
to thaw. The laying commences early in October and
becomes most active in the course of November and early
December. Through the winter it is sparingly continued,
359
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
some females coming out of the ground and climbing the
trees even when the ground is frozen, and many when-
ever there is a thaw. In the spring, the females are again
numerous, though far less so than in November.
" The male of the insect is a grayish-winged miller,
about two-thirds of an inch in length, and much like an
ordinary moth in general form. The female is a little
shorter and much stouter than the male, and without
wings. Being thus wingless, they have to crawl up the
trees in order to lay their eggs upon its branches. In
the proper season the females may be seen on their march
up the trunk, though so like the bark in color as to re-
quire some little attention to find them. The males at
the same time, especially just at dark, are flitting about
near the trees in great numbers. Some of the females
blunderingly ascend posts and fences and the sides of
houses, and in such places lay their patches of eggs. But
in general, they succeed in finding the trunk of a tree,
and especially their favorite, the elm ; and when once on
the ascent, they continue upward until they have reached
the extremities of the branches, or else until the laying
time, which usually comes from a few hours to a few days
after the ascent is commenced. The eggs are thus dis-
tributed everywhere over the tree, from the lower part of
the trunk to the top. They are consequently placed for
the most part where the young as soon as hatched (in
May) will find food near at hand. The eggs laid on the
fences and sides of houses hatch like others, but the
young from these generally die for want of food.
" The young from the eggs are the canker-worms, and
the canker-worm is hence the young state of a miller,
just as the caterpillar is the young of an ordinary butterfly.
These worms when they leave the trees in June (generally
before or by the loth) bury themselves in the ground,
where each becomes a chrysalis, and in this state they
remain, without locomotion or feeding, until ready to
emerge as perfect insects in October and the following
months. A single female lays on an average 75 eggs,
and if each canker-worm in a season eats 10 leaves the
brood of one single female may consume 750 leaves.
Now the fact that the females are wingless renders
the troughs of oil around the tree a sure means of de-
stroying them ; for the slightest besmearing of the body
360
DANA'S LETTER ON CANKER-WORMS
closes up the breathing holes arrayed along its sides
(called in science spiracles).
" But to make the method of prevention sure the oil
must be kept in the troughs throughout the season of the
ascent of the females. It is hence to be noted ;
" I. That the oil may be blown out by the winds.
" 2. That the rains may fill the troughs with water so
that the oil (which always floats on water) may thus be
floated out.
" 3. The troughs as put up are often not horizontal, so
that all the oil goes to one side aad flows out at the first
rain-storm.
" 4. The troughs are often too shallow; and the cover
of lead above is too narrow to serve as any protection
against the rain.
5. The oil, when not altogether neglected, is gener-
ally not put in early enough in the autumn and spring,
nor continued long enough.
" 6. The insects sometimes fill up the troughs by
their dead bodies before the season of ascent is passed,
and thus form a bridge for aftercomers.
The following, then, are the rules to be regarded:
" I. Have the lead troughs well put up and of good
size.
"2. In the autumn, put in oil as early as October, and
keep it in until the ground is frozen solid or covered with
snow.
"3. In the winter, fill up again when the frost is out
of the ground, even for a few inches.
"4. In the spring, put in oil, whenever the frost
begins to leave the ground, and keep it in until the
canker-worms appear. As the females lay their eggs on
the trunk of the tree de/ow the lead trough as well as
above on the branches, if the oil is not kept in until after
the hatching in May, the young which then appear may
crawl up to their feeding place.
"5. Examine the troughs once a fortnight after the oil
has been put in for the season and fill up whenever
needed, clearing out the dead moths that have accumu-
lated.
" 6. Examine the troughs after every heavy storm.
" 7. Fill the troughs each time from one-third to one-
half their depth ; more oil is a waste as it is so liable to
361
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
be thrown out by the winds, and it is also quite unneces-
sary if the troughs receive proper attention afterwards.
Poor lamp oil, if the above rules are regarded, is prefer-
able to the best, since it is thicker, and therefore not so
easily displaced.
" Although oil is a sure means of protection from the
canker-worm, there is an obvious objection to its use in
the danger in windy weather to the clothes of those pass-
ing beneath, and it is desirable that ingenuity should be
set to work toward devising something better. Mr. E.
Hayes, printer, uses fof his apple trees a refuse printing-
ink with perfect success ; and if a material of like nature
could be made at a moderate price it would be all that
could be desired. He puts around the tree a girt of stout
brown paper, about ten inches wide (tying it on with a
string), and then besmears the paper with the ink. The
material is not removed by moisture or rain, and, unlike
tar, retains its adhesiveness for two or three months
through all kinds of weather, and only requires occasional
attention to see that the moths have not so filled it with
their bodies as to make a safe way for others. Printing-
ink consists chiefly of boiled and burnt linseed oil with
rosin and lampblack. The lampblack is not essential
for the purpose here in view.
" Some readers may be interested to know that the
canker-worm miller belongs to a group under the butter-
fly division of insects, called £-eo7neiers — a term that alludes
(like that of measure worm, sometimes applied to the
canker-worm) to the mode of locomotion of the worms.
And in this group it pertains to the genus anisopteryx —
so named (from the Greek) because the males and females
differ as regards the wings. ' '
TO SPENCER F. BAIRD
The National Academy of Sciences. Death of Silliman.
" New Haven, Dec. lo, 1864.
" As the time for our January meeting of the National
Academy approaches, I become more and more convinced
that I ought not to encounter the labor and fatigue of
the occasion. Had I no duties but those of. a private in
362
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE
the Academy I should have less fear. But with the cares
of President, which involve meetings of council, as well
as all business meetings, at least, of the Academy, and
much more of an outside nature, I am sure I should be
unwise to risk attendance. I should return here after a
hard week to do double duty in college for the first ten
days because of the absence from the commencement of
the term here which it would require, my geological
course being on my hands. I tried to have the geology
deferred to the latter half of our term, so that I might
have a respite after the meeting before entering upon its
duties; but the arrangements could not be made. I am
sorry to be absent for many reasons. I had concluded
to resign the vice-presidency because of Bache's illness,
and my own impaired health, thinking that the Academy
should have some one capable of performing the duties
of President in the presidential chair, and not wishing to
be in the way of an appointment of the right man for
the place. But on broaching the subject to one or two
friends I have been advised not to think of it. I should
much prefer now to throw up the position ; for besides
my incapabilities from imperfect health, I should enjoy
myself far more if I could have my time and strength to
mingle socially with the members present. At New
Haven the business meetings of each morning so used me
up that I could call on no one and had to avoid all eve-
ning intercourse with friends in the house, or with those
that might call. I should have been glad to have called
on Professor Henry, for one, and to have seen him at my
house. But it was not possible. I think I have gained
a little since summer, but only a little. The past fort-
night has brought extra trial and fatigue. I may be in
Washington in the spring, and will then see you and Mrs.
Baird. Please give her my very kind regards. Mrs.
Dana would thank her warmly for her very kind letter
received last week, and sends her love to her and to your
daughter.
" Our circle is most sadly bereaved in the loss of its
centre of light and affection. Thanksgiving was to have
brought us a union of families at dinner in my house.
The morning came, but, before the sun was faintly up.
Professor Silliman had gone from us, and we were left to
mourn. Yet so peaceful was his death, so in harmony
363
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
with his Hfe, that we found occasion for rejoicing amid our
tears."
TO JULIUS H. WARD
Respecting James G. Percival, the Geologist of Connecticut
" New Haven, November 6, 1865.
" In compliance with my promise, I send you my
opinion of Percival as the Connecticut geologist.
"In the expression Percival the geologist, few will
recognize a reference to Percival the poet ; and yet, in
my opinion, no one in the country has done better work
in geology or work of greater value to the science. His
Geological Report on the State of Connecticut is certainly
the most unpoetical of works, it containing not even the
most obvious deductions from his observations. But
Percival had not finished his survey to his own satisfac-
tion (which perhaps he never would have done with such
views as he held of accuracy and perfection in research),
when he was called upon for his Report ; and, being un-
willing, in his sincerity to nature, to put forward so soon
any inferences of his own, he published only the bare
facts arranged in their driest geographical order. Yet in
this dry detail, and the admirable map accompanying the
volume, there is not only testimony to assiduous labor,
but an exhibition of results sufficient to teach philosophy
to the mind capable of appreciating them. The practical
or mineralogical part of the survey was in the hands of
Prof. C. U. Shepard, leaving to Percival the topographi-
cal and general geology.
On entering upon his duties, Percival saw before him
two great problems : first, the character and origin of the
trap ridges of the State, such as East and West Rocks
near New Haven, the Hanging Hills of Meriden, and
other similar heights to the north and south, — a most
striking feature throughout central Connecticut; and,
secondly, the characters and origin of the granitic series
of rocks which prevail through all the rest of the State.
Having lived from his youth among the trap hills, the
first of these departments of the Survey engaged his earli-
est and longest attention, and was most nearly completed.
" It was the supposition of older geologists that West
364
ON PERCIVAL'S GEOLOGY OF CONNECTICUT
Rock near New Haven, and Mount Tom in Massachu-
setts, were parts of one continuous trap range. His ob-
servations early showed that this was wholly an error;
that there was no one line ; that, on the contrary, many
ranges existed having the same general north and south
course ; and, moreover, that each was made up of a series
of isolated parts. These trap rocks of Connecticut, as
has been well proved, and as was early indicated by
Professor Silliman, are intrusive or igneous rocks,— rocks
that fill fractures of the earth's crust, having come up in
a melted state from the earth's interior at the time when
the fractures were made ; and hence Percival's observa-
tions proved that there had been, not one long-continuous
fracture through the State from New Haven to the regions
of Mount Tom and beyond for the ejections of liquid
trap rock, but, instead, a series of openings along a com-
mon line, and that there were several such lines running
a nearly parallel course over a broad region of country.
He also found that the ridges which compose a range do
not always He directly in the same line, but that often the
parts which follow one another are successively to the
east of one another, or to the west {en Echelon, as the French
style it); and further, that the parts of the component
ridges of a range were often curved or a succession of
curving lines. He discovered, too, that in the region of
the Meriden Hanging Hills the trap ridges take a singu-
lar east and west bend across the great central valley
of the State, — a course wholly at variance with the old
notions.
" The work which he accomplished was, in the first
place, an extended topographical survey of his portion of
the State ; and, secondly, a thorough examination of the
structure and relations of the trap ridges, with also those
of the associated sandstone. And it brought out, as its
grand result, a system of general truths with regard to
the fractures of the earth's crust which, as geologists are
beginning to see, are the very same that are fundamental
in the constitution of mountain chains. For this com-
bination of many approximately parallel lines of ranges
in one system, the composite structure of the several
ranges, and the en hhelon, or advancing and retreating
arrangement of the successive ridges of a range, are com-
mon features of mountain chains. The earth's great
365
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
mountains and the trap ranges of central New England
are results of subterranean forces acting upon the earth's
crust according to common laws. The State of Connec-
ticut, through the mind and labors of Percival, has con-
tributed the best and fullest exemplification of the laws
yet obtained, and thus prepared the way for a correct
understanding of the great features of the globe.
" The red sandstone rocks of the region teach that, in
mediaeval geological time, the waters made a continuous
estuary from New Haven, on Long Island Sound, to
northern Massachusetts, — one continuous Connecticut
River, or estuary, with New Haven as its southern ter-
minus. The question then suggests itself, why does not
the river flow now in this Connecticut Valley down to
New Haven Bay ? Percival's investigations afford the
answer, although he has not suggested it. He shows on
his map, as observed above, that the trap ridges make a
nearly east and west course across the valley in the region
of the Meriden Hills, just opposite the spot where the
Connecticut River takes its eastern bend. Evidently the
making of these hills, that is, the rending of the earth's
crust, the ejection of the melted trap rock, and the ac-
companying uplifting of the surface^ might well have
forced the river out of its older course, and, without a
doubt, it so did ; and thus New Haven lost its great river.
" Percival pursued his second subject, that of the
granitic rocks, with similar fidelity, and mapped out with
care the several formations. The State, however, was too
large for the satisfactory completion of the Survey in the
short time allotted to it. The subject, besides, was
vastly more complex and difficult than that of the trap
ridges and the associated sandstone. He began the work
well, but had to leave it for some future observer to finish.
" With regard to these rocks, his mind became early
entangled with a theory, bold and comprehensive, and
likely to captivate a poetical mind, but one which geo-
logical science has never favored. It was, however, with
him, only an incentive to more scrutinizing research. He
thought of it and talked about it at great length at times,
with his one or two friends who had ears for such sub-
jects. But his speculations nowhere appear in his Report.
His labors, moreover, were not without practical re-
sults ; for he was the first to explain correctly the origin
366
DANA'S ASCENT OF VESUVIUS, 1834
of the iron-ore beds of Kent, and similar beds in the
Green Mountain range.
"It is greatly to be desired that the biography you
have in hand should contain the map * of Connecticut
which illustrates his Geological Report. With but brief
explanations, especially if the trap ridges and dikes were
colored, it would give to the reader the grander results of
the Survey, which few are acquainted with, even among
those that are especially interested in such subjects, be-
cause of the limited edition of the Report published by the
State,"
TO B. SILLIMAN
Ascent of Mt. Vesuvius, in iSj/j.
This selection of letters will be brought to a close by
the insertion of one of the earliest letters written by Pro-
fessor Dana on a scientific theme. It was printed long
ago in the American Journal of Science. To the general
reader this letter will appear somewhat dry; but those
who are interested in the development of Professor
Dana's mind, and in his career as an observer of geo-
logical phenomena, will perceive that this ascent of
Vesuvius made a strong impression on the youthful stu-
dent and that he often recurred to this experience in
subsequent years, and especially in his study of the
Hawaiian volcanoes.
" U. S. Frigate United States, Smyrna, July 12, 1834.
" It would have afforded me much gratification to have
had it in my power to have communicated with Dr. Gen-
mellaro of Catania, agreeable to the request I received
from you through Mr. Herrick. But we were subject to
the disappointment of not even touching the coast of
Sicily on our course from Naples to this place. We did
flatter ourselves, and with no little confidence, that an
anchor would be dropped at Messina, and our ship was
* On account of the cumbersome form in which this map was printed, it
cannot easily be reproduced.
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
run partly in the harbor, as if our expectations were to
be realized. But our course was suddenly changed, and
in a short time the new report was afloat that Smyrna was
our next port ; that we were not even to touch at Malta,
as we had to that moment expected. A few days' stay
at Messina would have given me an opportunity to have
communicated by letter with Dr. Genmellaro, which is
what I have earnestly desired. Our vessels never enter
the harbor of Catania, because of its want of depth of
water. Possibly on our return we may visit some port
in Sicily. If so I shall not fail to use the means thus
afforded to comply with your request. Supposing it pos-
sible that a statement of the present condition of Vesuvius,
which I had the pleasure of visiting when at Naples a few
weeks since, may be of some interest to you, I would take
the liberty of addressing you an account of my observa-
tions.
" The volcano for many years has almost incessantly
shown some signs of life; but since the summer of 1832
it has been and still is, on the whole, in what is con-
sidered a tranquil state. This was very much the case
when we first arrived, May 29th, and hence in my first
view of Vesuvius I was quite disappointed. I saw a
mountain rising before me to the moderate height of
3600 feet,* from a broad base, and with an acclivity by
no means steep, and having at a distant view of eight
miles nothing particularly bold or rugged in its outline.
Some variety was afforded by its double summit, Somma
standing near by to the north and nearly equalling Vesu-
vius in height. The crater was enveloped in a light
cloud, such as is usual about elevated peaks, whose cold
soil condenses the vapor of the atmosphere. In this in-
stance, however, I supposed the cloud to have been the
vapor condensed as it issued from the crater; yet there
was nothing in the appearance to convince one that such
was the case.
" Vesuvius resembled a volcano no more than other
summits bounding the horizon to the south of it; except
in its brownish-black sides, which alone told its real
nature. Thus it was, till favored by the darkness of the
* Height of Vesuvius, 4200 feet ; of Monte Somma, 3700 feet. — Century
Dictionary of Names.
368
ASCENT OF VESUVIUS, 1834
evening, when it commenced to exhibit some evidences
of its real nature. The vapory cloud which shrouded its
summit was then bright with the light reflected from the
crater; and there were ejections, yet not very frequent,
of melted lava and heated cinders, to a considerable height
in the air. The succeeding day, owing to the eclipsing
light of the sun, it again assumed a non-volcanic aspect.
But at night the eruptions were seen to occur every five
or eight minutes. It was the following night that with a
party of the ofificers of the ship I ascended the mount.
At Resina, near the foot of the mountain, we were pro-
vided by Salvatore Madonna, the principal cicerone for
this excursion, with the necessary equipments, guides,
horses or jacks, and torches ; and in suits of clothes for
the occasion. About an hour after sunset we commenced
the ascent.
" We had selected the night for the excursion, because
at that time the lava can exhibit more clearly its own
light, and also to view the rising sun, a splendid sight, as
we had been informed, heightened as it is by the beauti-
ful surrounding scenery. With but the light of our
torches I could not of course examine the nature of the
soil over which we were passing. When descending in
the morning, I observed that our road ran along a strip
of land, elevated above the general level of the side hill,
and therefore inaccessible to the lava coming in this
direction, which would naturally take its course in the
valley to one side of it. This elevated land, named
Monte Canteroni, may be considered as connecting Som-
ma with the cone of Vesuvius. It is intersected by three
valleys, the most northerly of which, Vallone della Vet-
rana, received the current of lava of 1785. For a consider-
able distance there were cultivated fields and vineyards
on either side of our road. Part of the way it was cut
through a bank of pebbles and sand. A ride of five miles
brought us to the Hermitage, situated on the top of
Monte Canteroni, a usual place of recruit for travellers,
indeed a half-way house. Not wishing to ascend imme-
diately, we rested here for three hours. At 2 A.M. we
again mounted our horses, and in half an hour reached
the foot of the cone.
" Since leaving the Hermitage vegetation grew more
and more scanty as we proceeded, and then we found but
^ 369
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
a barren waste of lava, which continues up the cone, there,
however, composed also of loose cinders and volcanic
ashes. This lava is the current of 1822. It was a tedious
walk, both because of the steepness of the acclivity and
of the yielding nature of the material over which we
travelled. In three quarters of an hour we were relieved
by arriving on a plain, the principal summit of the moun-
tain, near the centre of which was situated a small cone,
the present aperture for the smoke and ejected stones and
lava. This plain is the old crater, which but four years
since was reached by a descent of upwards of two thou-
sand feet, the bottom of an ' immense and frightful gulf. '
In 1829, a person, when he had reached the summit,
stood upon a narrow ridge and could but look down to
this seat of volcanic fires. In 1830, the descent was more
easy, but it continued nearly the same till the summer
of 1832, when it assumed very nearly the form and ap-
pearance that it now has. There was at that time a fall-
ing in of the wall of the crater, and also, judging from
appearances, I should say that the lava as it boiled up
had cooled and thus closed all the view to the burning
furnace. I have heard it said that the change in its ap-
pearance is so great that it can hardly be recognized as
the same mountain. At the eruption of 1832 a stream
of lava descended the mountain towards Portici. In the
description of every eruption that I have read there is
noticed some change in the form of the crater. In 1822
the walls of it were so much broken off as to lessen the
height of the mountain one hundred feet; and thus it
appears that, by an examination of its present state, there
can be obtained scarcely any idea of the volcano as it
was thirty or forty years since. The present circumfer-
ence of this plain is nearly four miles, more than twice
that of the mouth of the crater in 1830. Part of the old
walls exist on the northeast side, and there only.
" As I walked over the plain, rather a rough one, I
noticed in the numerous fissures in the lava, on this the
western side, that the rocks were heated to redness,
within two or three feet of the surface ; and from many
places the sulphurous vapors issued freely. These fissures
were too shallow to allow any far insight into the interior
of the mountain. The volcano at the time was in con-
siderable action. The smoke, mostly sulphurous acid,
370
ASCENT OF VESUVIUS, 1834
issued in a dense cloud from the small crater, and was
carried by a strong wind from the northeast across the
path we were about to take. After one or two fruitless
attempts, the danger of suffocation driving us back, at
last, with our handkerchiefs to our faces, we gained the
windward side of the cone. It was south of east of this
small cone (I so call it to distinguish it from the old and
larger one), about twenty rods from it, that the grandest
sight was presented us.
" During the preceding few moments we had moved
along with rather a hastened step, on account of the heat
of the lava under our feet ; for a red heat was frequently
seen in many places within ten or twelve inches of the
surface, and the rocks were yellow with an incrustation
of sulphur. We were soon on the borders of what was
apparently a fountain of melted lava, which, making its
way from under the solid lava at the slow rate of a mile
an hour, ran down the back side of the mountain towards
Pompeii, not proceeding far enough, however, to injure
an uninjured country. It resembled much a stream of
fused iron. Its width was from four to five feet. From
the form of the surface of the surrounding lava, I con-
cluded that not long since its place of exit was higher
up, and that by the solidification of its surface the change
had been produced in the situation of its source, a pro-
cess which now appears to be going on. We approached
it within four feet. I cannot say that I felt disposed to
try the experiment which Dolomieu states to be safe, that
is, to walk on it, — the heat of the surface, as he says, not
being sufficient to burn. It is certain that the reflected
heat was sufficient to induce me to preserve the distance
above mentioned. With one of our rough canes we took
some of the red-hot viscid fluid from the stream, and into
it pressed some coins. I have one specimen impressed
on one side with the name of our cicerone, Salvatore
Madonna; on the other, the time as regards the year
when instamped. The lava cools rapidly, hardening into
a black scoriaceous, vesicular mass, without the usual
crystals of leucite, hornblende, or pyroxene. May not
this absence of crystals be owing to the fact that they
were taken from the surface, where these minerals, not
under pressure, are decomposed by the heat ? The same
is the nature of the solidified lava which covers this part
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
of the old crater. This stream is the only present outlet
for the lava of the volcano. The crater is not in suffi-
cient action to force it over its sides.
" There yet remained to be seen the interior of this
crater. Our guides spoke to us of the danger, and, per-
haps more from disliking the trouble of ascending than
from fear, at first refused to ascend with us. It was not
usual to climb it on this the eastern side ; but there was
no alternative, for the opposite side, where was the
beaten track, was rendered impassable by the thick
volumes of suffocating smoke. They at last consented,
as we had determined on going. Its elevation is about
250 feet, the whole of which has been formed within the
past five years; in 1830 there was but a small mound.
Its elevation is owing to the cinders and small pieces of
lava, with perhaps occasionally a current, which are
thrown out and fall down its sides. Its sides incline at
an angle of forty degrees, as great an inclination, con-
sidering the manner in which they are formed, as they
could have. When making the ascent I perceived, very
sensibly, a tremulous motion, and when on the summit,
I observed that this trembling took place at each of its
slight eruptions. There were no subterranean sounds.
The eruptions were of heated cinders, melted lava, and
sulphur, which were darted into the air to the height of
twenty or thirty feet, every four or five minutes. The
greater portion of them fell back into the crater. I
noticed that some small pieces of lava, which had fallen
to one side, were cooled by the time they had reached
the ridge of the cone. After all we were prevented from
viewing the internal operations by the thick smoke con-
tinually issuing from the part of the crater directly
beneath us, and obscuring the whole of the interior.
Occasionally it was partially cleared away by the wind,
and then we perceived some unhealed rocks, within
twenty feet of the top, on the side opposite us. The diam-
eter of the nearly circular opening was not more than one
hundred feet. The ridge forming the circumference
was besprinkled with sulphur, which had been thrown
out in a fused state. The specimens were very delicate
and beautiful; unfortunately too much so to be handled.
" We were on the point of descending, when an erup-
tion, somewhat greater than what we had before seen,
ASCENT OF VESUVIUS, 1834
took place, and a shower of lava fell on all sides of us,
causing us to hurry, and soon we were again upon the
heated though solid lava of the plain, or old crater. On
our return we went around to the north, thus making the
circuit of the cone. In this direction there were numer-
ous fissures, freely emitting smoke and showing a red
heat to the surface. The walls of the old crater, which
here remain, are a perpendicular bank of rock, exhibiting
the edges of alternating layers of compact lava, and loose
scoria with disintegrated lava. The compact contains
numerous small imperfect crystals of leucite and horn-
blende.
" The time before us would not permit me to make
many examinations with regard to the volcanic minerals
here to be obtained. The following I purchased of our
cicerone, who collects and keeps for sale Vesuvian speci-
mens. He pointed out to me a large box that he had
just closed for Professor Buckland of England. Some of
the specimens had passed through the fires without the
least change. Their well-known names will distinguish
them among the following : granite ; mica, one specimen
and an aggregation of black scales, another of a brownish-
yellow color; crystallized calcareous spar or limestone;
idocrase in a micaceous gangue ; spinelle with the green
mica; sommite; Iceland spar in tabular crystals; dolo-
mite ; calcareous mesotype in irregular spheroidal masses
cemented together by carbonate of lime ; stilbite in the
cavities of the lava ; leucite in crystals, with twenty-four
trapezohedral faces, from one-eighth to three-quarters of
an inch in diameter; muriate of copper incrusting a speci-
men of lava; specular iron, in flat lenticular crystals
covering lava; a compound of chloride of sodium and
muriate of ammonia similarly situated ; and a specimen
of recent calcareous conglomerate, containing petrifac-
tions, among which there is a species of the genuspecten,
also of cardium and of what appears to be adonax; and,
in addition, some small turreted univalves. I have other
minerals, but their names I cannot state with certainty.
The labels of many that I purchased were evidently wrong.
" We descended the cone at a rapid rate, along a steep
declivity of loose cinders and volcanic sand. Not till the
fifth of June was there any change of consequence in the
state of the volcano. On this day (Friday) a slight
373
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
earthquake was perceived near Pompeii. There was a con-
siderable swell on the sea during the day, which, as there
had been calm weather for several days, I had imputed,
without a knowledge of the earthquake, to a distant gale.
Possibly the earthquake was the cause. At night, the
bursts of incandescent matter from the crater were far
more brilliant and extensive than on former nights. At
many of these expirations (if I may use the term : it
seems to convey best the idea of these slight eruptions,
which are not unlike the spouting of some huge leviathan
in a fiery liquid), small streams of lava ran down the
northern side of the small cone. On Saturday, smoke
was continually rolling from the crater to the north.
In the evening I observed that a new source of light
had arisen to the north of the small cone, and towards
the southeast a line of light extended partly down the
mountain towards Pompeii, arising probably from the
same stream of liquid lava which I saw when there, now
enlarged. The crater itself was by far less active than
usual. During Sunday, Vesuvius was in quite a dull
state. At night but little light was to be seen, and the
fiery expirations were not frequent. As we were leaving
the harbor on Monday (June 8th), a blacker and more
abundant smoke issued from the crater, and at night the
stream to the southeast shone with increased brilliancy.
The next morning Vesuvius was far below the horizon.
" It would have been a source of no little gratification,
could I have witnessed Vesuvius exhibiting her immense
fireworks on her grandest scale. However, the slight ex-
hibitions of the past few days were, as seemed to me, full
of grandeur; and they made a faint impression of the
power that now is nearly dormant. Yet they passed off
entirely unnoticed by the mass of the inhabitants of the
country. It is astonishing with what an absence of fear
they rebuild their destroyed cities, whence just before they
ran for their lives, driven by these tremendous torrents of
fire. Thus Torre del Greco, although mostly buried by
the fiery torrent of 1794, has again risen from its ruins,
and now contains 15,000 inhabitants. The foot of the
mountain is crowded with towns, and it would be diffi-
cult for a current now to reach the sea, its usual course,
without destroying some buildings.
" While contemplating Vesuvius, it is natural to dwell
374
ASCENT OF VESUVIUS, 1834
upon the volcano, its nature, its depth, and extent, and
to inquire whether it is not connected with Stromboli
and Etna, and whether this grand bed of fire does not
extend throughout Italy, which everywhere bears evi-
dences of former volcanoes and present subterranean fires?
However this may be, it appears that it may be said with
considerable confidence that at least fifteen or twenty
miles on each side will not more than include this burn-
ing furnace. Twelve miles from Vesuvius, beyond
Naples, are the vapor baths of San Germano. An old
stone building covers a spot of earth whence issues this
heated vapor. There is but a slight smell of sulphur, but
the heat throws one immediately into a profuse perspira-
tion. The walls inside are covered with an incrustation
of alum of from one-half to two inches thick. Here,
then, is sufficient evidence of subterranean fires. A short
distance from these baths is the Grotto del Cane, a small,
partly artificial cave, but twelve or fifteen feet deep, and
six high, in the side of a hill of tufa. It is noted for the
carbonic acid it contains. The smoke of a taper settling
upon it ran out of the entrance like a liquid, thus showing
that there is an incessant fountain of the gas. I stepped
in, and besides an increase of pressure, perceived an in-
crease of heat. This heat and the continual reproduction
of gas seem sufficient to prove its igneous origin. This
cave and the baths are situated on the borders of a small
lake (Lago d'Agnano), which, from its circular form,
great depth (five hundred feet), and the volcanic nature
of the surrounding country, is supposed to be an ancient
crater. A mile from the lake is the famous Solfatara,
not long since an active volcano, now abounding in sul-
phur, alum, and other volcanic productions. Near by is
a rivulet of boiling water. Not far distant is the crater
of another extinct volcano (Astroni), four miles in cir-
cumference; and just north of the bay of Baia there is
another hot spring. Nine miles west of Naples is the
island of Procida, with a volcanic soil ; and fifteen miles
distant is Ischia, whose extinct volcano, currents of lava,
once the destruction of its town, and hot springs, are
sufficient to prove its volcanic origin. South of these,
the plain of Sorrento bears evidences of a former volcano.
Thus Vesuvius is nearly surrounded with volcanoes now
apparently extinct ; but whose fires, as is proved by the
375
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
hot springs and vapor baths, yet burn. A mountain,
which has ejected such immense quantities of lava as
has Vesuvius, must necessarily have a great extent of
volcanic fires. If, as says Braccini, and from experiment,
the descent to the internal plain, in 163 1, was by a rapid
declivity of three miles, and consequently its situation
was far below the level of the sea, what limits ought to
be assigned to the fires which then, as they were latent,
must have been far below the plain he reached ? It will
not, therefore, require much credulity to believe a radius
of six or eight miles necessary to include the fires
of Vesuvius, even supposing that there are no others in
the neighborhood. But others do exist ; aad judging of
their probable limits by the size of the old crater, is there
not reason to believe that they also extend six or eight
miles and thus meet those of Vesuvius ? or rather, that
there is but one source, one great furnace of which Vesu-
vius is the present spiracle ? Whether such is the case or
not I would submit to your superior judgment.
" We passed Stromboli Tuesday evening, June i6th, a
more extensive mountain than Vesuvius; its red fiery
expirations had more breadth and extended to a greater
height, but they were less frequent than those of that
volcano, happening not oftener than once in fifteen or
twenty minutes. The next day Etna was in sight ; but
she gave us not the least evidence of her volcanic charac-
ter, except in her external appearance.
I hardly know what apology to make for writing an
epistle so long and perhaps tedious. But I hope that the
interest I supposed might properly be taken in the sub-
ject, and my own interest in it, will make further apology
unnecessary."
376
APPENDIX
I
The following spirited poem was written by Dr. Palmer, one of the
surgeons of the U. S. Exploring Expedition, after the adventurous cruise
of the Peacock near Cape Horn in 1839.
The author thus wrote to Dana :
" Fort George, August 21, 1841.
"The verses were all ready, according to your reiterated desire ; and I
only waited an opportunity to send them. I deeply feel your sympathy in
the subject of some of them : and it touches me too much, to say more
about the matter just now if I would finish my letter. If ever I write any
more, they shall be sure to seek you, for an indulgent reader.
" You had to thank somebody, for convincing you of the possession of a
musical genius, which your modesty would have long concealed from your-
self ; I therefore freely accept the expressions of your gratitude ; and I am
satisfied that the world will have more cause to be grateful to me, than even
you had. I do not feel in the least annoyed that I even occupied your
attention with such a matter : it deserves more attention than even you
gave it."
THULIA
By Dr. J. C. Palmer, Surgeon, U. S. N.
I
Deep in a far and lonely bay.
Begirt by desert cliffs of snow,
A little bark at anchor lay.
In southern twilight's fiery glow ;
Too frail a shell — too lightly borne
Upon the bubble of a wave.
To face the terrors of Cape Horn,
Or stern Antarctic seas to brave,
377
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
In other days, she loved to glide
O'er Hudson's bosom bright and still ;
And float along the tranquil tide,
By craggy steep and sloping hill.
Now, like a land-bird, blown away
By tempests from its happy nest,
She flies before the whirling spray.
To seek this dreary place of rest.
The night-air through her cordage sings :
Her sides the drowsy waters lave,
As, like a gull with folded wings,
She lightly sits upon the wave,
While overhead, a holy sign,
The southern cross, is in the sky, —
Assurance that an eye divine
Watches the exile from on high.
II
The braying penguin sounds his horn.
And flights of cormorants are screaming
Their croaking welcome to the morn.
Athwart the frozen mountains gleaming.
Fleet as the tern that wakeful springs
From stunted beech or blighted willow.
Our little Thulia spreads her wings.
And off she skims across the billow.
A fairer morning, o'er the face
Of wintry region, never smiled ;
And, mid the ripples at its base.
The stormy Cape itself looks mild.
With hopes elate, and hearts that spurn
All thought of fearing wind or waves.
The eager rovers southward turn,
To seek new space for human graves.
Ah ! had the primal sin, that bore
The doom of death, but made us wise.
Not now for luxury or lore
Would man give up his Paradise ;
3;8
DR. PALMER'S ODE
Or quit the haunts he ranged of old,
The land of love that gave him birth,
For thirst of glory or of gold,
To wander up and down the earth.
But youth and manhood thus we pass,
Deluded by the wish to roam ;
And find with age — too late, alas ! —
That all our joys were left at home.
Ill
The wind is up : the storm once more
Asserts dominion o'er the main ;
And onward leads, with thundering roar,
His mingled hosts of hail and rain.
O'er mounds of vapor darkly rolled.
Huge castled clouds are towering high.
Confronting with the billows bold.
That dash defiance to the sky.
Deep in the hollow of a wave.
The sea-bird swoops to find a lee ;
But where the maddened waters rave.
What refuge, puny bark, for thee ?
Now by the surges upward whirled.
She totters on their crests of snow :
Anon, precipitately hurled,
Down topples to the gulf below.
The leaden skies above her frown,
Through frozen drifts of cutting sleet ;
And combing billows tumbling down,
Infold her like a winding-sheet.
The dove that wandered from the ark,
To seek her long-deserted nest.
Had vainly hovered round this bark
For one dry spot her wing to rest.
The very creatures of the brine
Appear to know her hapless plight :
And snorting herds of fishy swine
Come plunging round to mock her flight :
379
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
While, from the vortex in her wake,
High spouts the whale his flood of spray.
Lashing the waters till they quake
Beneath his flooks' tremendous play.
Serenely sweeps that stately bird
Whose wing, more fair than polar snows.
In all his flight is never stirred
Out of its tranquil, proud repose.
And with the roving albatross.
The sheath-bill flickers round and round ;
And petrels hop the foam across
Where lightest janthine might be drowned.
With oval disk and feeble blaze.
Now shrinks away the pallid sun ;
And Night comes groping through the haze.
Like guilty ghost in cerements dun.
The dank, cold fog, slow-settling down.
Hangs o'er the waste a murky pall ;
And round the narrow, misty zone
The seas heave up a wavy wall.
The storm outspent has ceased to howl ;
The winds have moaned themselves to sleep ;
And Darkness broods with sullen scowl
Over the stranger and the deep.
IV
No sparrow greets the clear cold morn —
No swain comes forth with carol gay ;
But wild the sea-bird's scream is borne,
And thus the sailor chants his lay :
Antarctic Mariner's Song
1
" Sweetly, from the land of roses.
Sighing comes the northern breeze ;
And the smile of dawn reposes.
All in blushes, on the seas.
380
DR. PALMER'S ODE
Now within the sleeping sail,
Murmurs soft the gentle gale.
Ease the sheet, and keep away :
Glory guides us south to-day.
3
" Yonder, see ! the icy portal
Opens for us to the Pole ;
And, where never entered mortal.
Thither speed we to the goal.
Hopes before, and doubts behind,
On we fly before the wind.
Steady, so — now let it blow !
Glory guides, and south we go.
" Vainly do these gloomy borders
All their frightful forms oppose ;
Vainly frown these frozen warders.
Mailed in sleet and helmed in snows.
Though, beneath the ghastly skies.
Curdled all the ocean lies.
Lash we up its foam anew —
Dash we all its terrors through !
" Circled by these columns hoary.
All the field of fame is ours ;
Here to carve a name in story.
Or a tomb beneath these towers.
Southward still our way we trace.
Winding through an icy maze.
Luff her to — there she goes through !
Glory leads, and we pursue."
Undaunted, though, despite their mirth.
Still by a certain awe subdued.
They reach the last retreat on earth.
Where Nature hoped for solitude.
Between two icebergs gaunt and pale.
Like giant sentinels on post.
Without a welcome or a hail,
Intj:u4g they on the realm of Frost,
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
In desolation vast and wild,
Outstretched a mighty ruin lies :
Huge towers on massy ramparts piled,
High domes whose azure pales the skies.
And surges wash with sullen swash
The crystal court and sapphire hall ;
Through arches rush with furious gush.
And slowly sap the solid wall.
Cold, cold as death — the sky so bleak
That even daylight seems to shiver ;
And, starting back from icy peak.
The blinking sunbeams quail and quiver.
They smile, those lonely, patient men,
Though gladness mocks that scene so drear ;
They speak — yet words are spent in vain
Which seem to freeze upon the ear :
And when at eve, with downy flake,
The snow-storm drops its veil around,
The weary sleep, the watchful wake ;
But both alike in dreams are bound.
Benighted in the fleecy shower.
Wee Thulia slowly southward creeps ;
Now overhung by tottering tower —
Now all becalmed 'neath jutting steeps.
Dim through the gloom, pale masses loom,
Like tombs in some vast burial-ground :
Here stalking slow, in shroud of snow,
Ghostlike the night-watch tramps his round.
Gray twilight glimmers forth at last —
The drapery of snow is furled ;
And isles of ice slow-filing past.
Reveal the confines of the world.
Day marches up yon wide expanse,
Like herald of eternal dawn ;
But shifting icebergs now advance.
And shut him out with shadows wan.
382
DR. PALMER'S ODE
Mountains on hoary mountains high,
O'ertop the sea-bird's loftiest flight :
All bleak the air — all bleached the sky —
The pent-up, stiflen'd sea all white.
Here Thulia lies, a bank of snow,
Each sail hung round with gelid frill ;
Festooned with frost her graceful prow.
And every rope an icicle.
Amid the fearful stillness round.
Scarce broken by the wind's faint breezing.
Hist ! heard ye not that crackling sound ?
That death-watch click — the sea is freezing.
They breathe not — speak not — murmur not ;
But in each other's face they gaze,
While memory, fancy, tender thought.
Turn sadly back to other days.
Long years roll by in that wild dream —
Long years of mingled joy and pain ;
But like a meteor's erring gleam
'T is gone — there stands the ice again.
The ice, the piles of ice, arrayed
In forms of awful grandeur still ;
But all their terrors — how they fade
Before proud man's sublimer will !
Uprise, all life, that gallant crew —
Prompt action echoing brief command :
Each puny arm now nerved anew.
With strength from His almighty hand.
With straining oars and bending spars
They dash their icy chains asunder :
Force frozen doors — burst crystal bars —
And drive the sparkling fragments under.
In fitful gusts the rising winds
Wake the still waste with hollow moan ;
While icebergs, like beleaguering fiends,
Close up before and follow on.
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
The whooping gale swells out the sail,
And gives fresh force for harder blows ;
At every blast a danger 's past,
And Thulia flies to meet new foes.
Now to the charge she drives amain.
Her fragile bows uprearing high :
Recoils, and rushes on again.
Till mingled ice and splinters fly.
Careering— reeling — on her side
She lies, with burnished keel all bare :
Now rights again with sudden slide.
Dashing the waters high in air.
Still jarring on, each writhing mast.
And shroud, and stay, is well-nigh riven ;
The wild, white canvas strains its fast ;
And timbers from their bolts are driven.
On, little bark ! On, yet awhile !
Across the frozen desert flee ;
For yonder, with its welcome smile,
Now sparkles bright thine own blue sea.
The baffled monsters fall behind.
Nor longer urge pursuit so vain :
One moment more, and rest we find—
'T is past — she 's safe, she 's safe again !
With drooping peak now lying-to,
Where sea-fowl brood she checks her motion,
Like them to plume herself anew.
In the bright mirror of the ocean.
All signs of strife soon wiped away.
They northward turn — God speed them on !
To climes beneath whose genial ray
Repose is sweet when toil is done.
384
II
BIBLIOGRAPHY *
183s On the condition of Vesuvius in July, 1834. Amer. Jour. Sci., (i),
vol. 27, pp. 281-288.
A nevif system of CrystallograpMc symbols. Ibid., vol. 28, pp. 250-
262.
1836 A nevif mineralogical nomenclature. Amer. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. V.,
vol. 4, pp. 9-34.
On the formation of Compound or Twin Crystals. Amer. Jour. Sci.,
(i), vol. 30, pp. 275-300.
Two American species of the genus Hydrachna. IHd., pp. 354-
359-
1837 ^ System of Mineralogy : including an extended treatise of Crys-
tallography ; with an Appendix, containing the application of
Mathematics to crystallographic investigation, and a mineralogical
bibliography. New Haven, large 8°, xiv -\- 580 pp.
Description of the Argulus Catostomi. Amer. Jour. Sci., vol. 31,
pp. 297-308.
On the identity of the Torrelite of Thomson with Columbite. Ibid.,
vol. 32, pp. 149-153.
On the drawing of figures of Crystals. Ibid., vol. 33, pp. 32-50.
Crystallographic examination of Eremite. Ibid., pp. 70-75.
1838 Description of a Crustaceous animal belonging to the genus Caligus.
Ibid., vol. 34, pp. 225-266.
1843 The analogies between the modern igneous Rocks and the so-called
Primary formations. Ibid., vol. 45, pp. 104-129.
On the temperature limiting the distribution of Corals. Ibid., pp.
130-131.
The areas of subsidence in the Pacific, as indicated by the distribu-
tion of Coral Islands. Ibid., pp. 131-135.
1844 A System of Mineralogy. 2d edition, 640 pp., 8°. New York
and London.
The composition of Corals. Amer. your. Sci., vol. 47, pp. 135-
136.
* Reprinted with slight changes and additions from Bibliographies of
the Present Officers of Yale University, New Haven, 1893.
="5 385
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
1845 Observations on Pseudomorphism. Jbid., vol. 48, pp. 81-92.
Origin of the constituent and adventitious minerals of Trap and the
allied rocks. Ibid., vol. 49, pp. 49-64.
1846 Zoophytes. [U. S. Exploring Expedition under C. Wilkes, U. S.
N.] Philadelphia, 4°, 741 pp. ; with a folio atlas of 61 plates.
Notice of some genera of Cyclopacea. Amer. Jour. Sci., (2), vol.
I, pp. 225-230.
General views on the classification of animals. Ibid., pp. 286—288.
On the occurrence of Fluor Spar, Apatite, and Chondrodite in
Limestone. Ibid., vol. 2, pp. 88-89.
The volcanoes of the moon. Ibid., pp. 335-355.
1846-1847 Zoophytes. Ibid., pp. 64-69 ; pp. 187-202 ; vol. 3, pp. 1-24;
pp. 160-163 ; PP- 337-347-
1847 The origin of continents. Ibid., vol. 3, pp. 94-100.
Geological results of the earth's contraction in consequence of cool-
ing. Ibid., pp. 176-188.
Origin of the grand outline features of the earth. Ibid., pp. 381-
398.
A general review of the geological effects of the earth's cooling from
a state of igneous fusion. Ibid., vol. 4, pp. 88-92.
Fossil shells from Australia. Ibid., pp. 151-160.
Observations on some Tertiary corals described by Mr. Lonsdale.
Ibid., pp. 359-362.
Certain laws of cohesive attraction. Ibid., pp. 364-385.
1847-1851 Conspectus Crustaceorum. I. Proc. Amer. Acad., Boston,
vol. I, pp. 149-155. II. Ibid., vol. 2, pp. g-6l. III. Proc.
Amer. Acad., Boston, vol. 2, pp. 201-220. IV. Amer. your.
Sci., (2), vol. 8, pp. 424-428. V. Ibid., vol. 9, pp. 129-133. VI.
Ibid., vol. II, pp. 268-274.
X848 Manual of Minekalogy, including Observations on Mines, Rocks,
Reduction of Ores, and the application of the Science to the Arts.
New Haven, 12°, 430 pp.
On a law of cohesive attraction as exemplified in a crystal of snow.
Amer. your. Sci., (2), vol. 5, pp. 100-102.
1849 Review of Chambers's Ancient Sea-margins, with observations on the
study of terraces. Ibid., vol. 7, pp. 1-14 ; vol. 8, pp. 86-89.
Notes on Upper California. Ibid., vol. 7, pp. 247-264.
Observation on some points in the Physical Geography of Oregon
and Upper California. Ibid., pp. 376-394.
Synopsis of the genera of Gammaracea. Ibid., vol. 8, pp. 135-140.
Conspectus Crustaceorum: Crustacea Entomostraca. Ibid., pp.
276-285.
Geology. [U. S. Exploring Expedition under C. Wilkes,
U. S. N.] Philadelphia, 4°, 756 pp. ; with a folio atlas of 21
plates.
386
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1850 A System of Mineralogy. 3d edition, 711 pp., 8°. New York
and London.
Denudation in the Pacific. Amer. Jour. Sci., (2), vol. 9, pp. 48-62.
The isomorphism and atomic volume of some minerals. Ibid., pp.
220-245.
On the genus Astrtea. Ibid., 295-297.
The degradation of rocks and formation of valleys of New South
Wales. Ibid., pp. 289-294.
Historical account of the eruptions on Hawaii. Ibid., pp. 347-364 ;
vol. 10, pp. 235-244.
Some minerals recently investigated by M. Hermann. Ibid., pp.
408-412.
Observations on the Mica family. Ibid.,yo\. 10, pp. 114-119.
The analogy between the mode of reproduction in plants and the
"Alternation of generations observed in some Radiata." Ibid.,
pp. 341-343-
1851 The markings of the Carapax of Crabs. Amer. Jour. Sci., (2), vol.
". PP- 95-99-
The physical and crystallographic characters of the Phosphate of
Iron, Manganese, and Lithia of Norwich, Mass. Ibid., pp. 100-
lOI.
On a new genus of Crustacea. Ibid. , 223-224.
Mineralogical notices. Ibid., pp. 225-234 ; vol. 12, pp. 205-222;
PP- 387-397-
Classification of Maioid Crustacea. Ibid., pp. 425-434.
Classification of the Cancroidea. Ibid., vol. 12, pp. 121-131.
Conspectus Crustaceorum : Crustacea Grapsoidea. Proc. Acad. Nat.
Sci. Philadelphia, vol 5, pp. 247-254.
Classification of the Crustacea Grapsoidea. Amer. Jour. Sci., (2),
vol. 12, pp. 283-290.
Conspectus Crustaceorum : Crustacea Paguridea. Proc. Acad. Nat.
Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 5, pp. 267-272.
Crystallographic identity of Eumanite and Brookite. Amer. Jour.
Sci., (2), vol. 12, pp. 397-398-
1851-1852 Coral reefs and islands. Ibid., vol. 11, pp. 357-372; vol. 12,
pp. 25-51 ; pp. 165-186 ; pp. 329-338 ; vol. 13, pp. 34-41 ; pp.
185-195 ; PP- 338-350 ; vol. 14, pp. 76-84-
1852 Classification of the Crustacea Corystoidea. Ibid., vol. 13, pp. 119-
121.
Conspectus Crustaceorum : Crustacea Paguridea, Megalopidea, and
Macroura. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 6, pp. 6-28.
Conspectus Crustaceorum : Crustacea Cancroidea. Ibid., pp. 73-86.
Lettering figures of Crystals. Amer. Jour. Sci., (2), vol. 13, pp.
339-404.
387
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
On the Humite of Monte Somma. Ibid., vol. 14, pp. 175-182.
The eruption of Mauna Loa in 1852. Ibid., pp. 254-259.
Classification of the Crustacea Choristopoda. Ibid,, pp. 297-316.
Some modern calcareous rock-formations. Ibid., pp. 410-418.
1853 Coral Reefs and Islands. New York, 8°, 144 pp.
Changes of level in the Pacific Ocean. Amer. Jour. Sci., (2), vol.
15, pp. 157-175.
The question whether temperature determines the distribution of
marine species of animals in depth. Ibid,, pp. 204-207.
Mineralogical notices. Ibid,, pp. 430-449.
The isomorphism of Sphene and Euclase. Ibid, , vol. 16, pp. 96-97.
An isothermal oceanic chart. Ibid,, pp. 153-167 ; pp. 314-327.
The consolidation of Coral formations. Ibid,, pp. 357-364.
A supposed change of ocean temperature. Ibid., pp. 391-392.
1852-1854 Crustacea. [U. S. Exploring Expedition under C. Wilkes,
U. S. N.] New York, 4°, pt. I, pp. 1-690 ; pt. II, pp. 690-1620,
with a folio atlas of 96 plates, issued in 1854.
1854 A System of Mineralogy. 4th edition, in 2 volumes, 320 and 534
pp., 8°. New York and London.
Mineralogical contributions. Amer, your. Sci,, vol. 17, pp. 75—88;
vol. 18, pp. 249-254.
Contributions to chemical Mineralogy. Ibid,, pp. 128-13 1; PP-
210-221.
Homoeomorphism of some mineral species. Ibid, , pp. 430-434.
The homoeomorphism of mineral species of the Trimetric system.
Ibid., vol. 18, pp. 35-54.
1854-1855 Geographical distribution of Crustacea. Ibid,, pp. 314-326;
vol. 19, pp. 6-15 ; vol. 20, pp. 168-178 ; pp. 349-361.
1855-1856 Supplements to the System of Mineralogy. Ibid,, (2), vol. 19,
pp. 353-371 ; vol. 21, pp. 192-213 ; vol. 22, pp. 246-263.
1856 Address before the American Association for the Advancement of
Science on retiring from the duties of President. Proc, Assoc,
for 1855, pp. 1-36.
Volcanic action at Mauna Loa. Ibid,, vol. 21, pp. 241-244.
Classification of Crustacea. Ibid,, vol. 22, pp. 14-29.
American geological history. Ibid., pp. 305-334.
The plan of development in the geological history of North America.
Ibid., pp. 335-349.
1856-1857 Science and the Bible ; a review of : and the six days of crea-
tion, of Prof. Tayler Lewis. Bibl, Sac, vol. 13, no. 49, pp. 80-
129 ; vol. 13, no. 51, pp. 631-656 ; vol. 14, no. 54, pp. 388-413 ;
vol. 14, no. 55, pp. 461-524.
388
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1857 Manual of Mineralogy. 2d edition, 455 pp., 12°. New Haven.
On Species. Bibl. Sac, vol. 14, pp. 854-874. Reprint : Amer.
your. Sci.y (2), vol. 24, pp. 305-316.
Fourth supplement to the Mineralogy. Ibid., pp. 107-132.
Review of Dr. Kane's Arctic Explorations. Ibid., pp. 235-251.
Parthenogenesis. Ibid., pp. 399-408.
1858 Review of Agassiz's Contributions to the natural history of the U. S.
Ibid., vol. 25, pp. 202-216 ; pp. 321-341.
Fifth supplement to the Mineralogy. Ibid. , pp. 396-416.
The currents of the Oceans. Ibid., vol. 26, pp. 231-233.
Review of Marcou's Geology of North America. Ibid., pp. 323-333.
Sixth supplement to the Mineralogy. Ibid., pp. 345-364.
1859 Synopsis of the Report on Zoophytes, etc., 172 pp., 8°. New
Haven. "
Eruption of Mauna Loa, Hawaii. Amer. Jour. Sci,, vol. 27, pp.
410-415.
Anticipations of Man in Nature. N. Englander, vol. 17, pp. 294-334.
Seventh supplement to the Mineralogy. Amer. Jour. Sci., (2), vol.
28, pp. 128-144.
1862 Manual of Geology ; treating of the principles of the science with
special reference to American geological history ; for the use of
Colleges, Academies, and Schools of Science. Philadelphia and
London, small 8°, 812 pp.
1863 The higher subdivisions in the classification of Mammals. Amer.
Jour. Sci., (2), vol. 35, pp. 65-71.
The existence of a Mohawk- valley glacier. Ibid., pp. 243-249.
On Man's zoological position. N. Englander, vol. 22, pp. 283-287.
Two oceanic species of Protozoans related to the sponges. Amer.
Jour. Sci., (2), vol. 35, pp. 386-387.
On cephalization. N. Englander, vol. 22, pp. 495-506.
, On cephalization and on Megasthenes and Microsthenes in classifica-
tion. Amer. Jour. Sci., (2), vol. 36, pp. i-io.
On the Appalachians and Rocky Mountains as time-boundaries in
geological history. Ibid., pp. 227-233.
The homologies of the Insectean and Crustacean types. Ibid. , vol.
36, pp. 233-235.
Certain parallel relations between the classes of Vertebrates and
some characteristics of the Reptilian Birds. Ibid., pp. 315-321.
1 863-1 864 The classification of animals based on the principle of Cephali-
zation. Ibid., pp. 321-352; pp. 440-442; vol. 37, pp. 10-33;
pp. 157-183 ; pp. 184-186.
1864 A Text-book of Geology : designed for Schools and Academies.
Philadelphia, 12°, 356 pp.
389
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Fossil insects from the Carboniferous formation in Illinois. Amer.
your. Sci., vol. 37, pp. 34-35.
1865 The crystallization of Brushite. IHd., (2), vol. 39, pp. 45-46.
Origin of Prairies. Ibid. , vol. 40, pp. 293-304.
1866 Cephalization. Explanations drawn out by the statements of an
objector, /did., vol. 41, pp. 163-174.
A word on the origin of Life, /did., pp. 389-394.
Observations on the origin of some of the Earth's features. Hid.,
vol. 42, pp. 205-211 ; pp. 252-253.
1867 Crystallogenic and crystallographic contributions. Ibid., vol. 44,
pp. 89-95 ; pp. 252-263 ; pp. 398-409.
Mineralogical nomenclature. Ibid., pp. 145-151.
1868 A System of Mineralogy : Descriptive Mineralogy, aided by
George Jarvis Brush. 827 pp., 8°. New York.
Recent eruption of Mauna Loa and Kilauea, Hawaii. Amer.
Jour. Sci., vol. 46, pp. 105-123.
1870 The Geology of the New Haven Region, with especial reference to
the origin of its topographical features. Trans. Conn. Acad.,
vol. 2, pp. 45-112.
1 87 1 On the Quaternary or Post-tertiary of the New Haven Region.
Amer. Jour. Sci., (3), vol. i, pp. 1-5 ; pp. 125-126.
On the supposed legs of a Trilobite, Asaphus platycephalus. Ibid.,
pp. 320—321.
The Connecticut River valley Glacier, and other examples of Glacier
movement along the valleys of New England. Ibid., vol. 2, pp.
233-243.
The position and height of the elevated plateau in which the Glacier
of New England, in the Glacial era, had its origin. Ibid., pp.
324-330.
1872 Corals and Coral Islands. New York, large 8°, 398 pp.
Notice of the address of Prof. T. Sterry-Hunt before the American
Association at Indianapolis. Amer. Jour. Sci., vol. 3, pp. 86-
93 ; vol. 4, pp. 97-105.
What is true Taconic ? Amer. Naturalist, vol. 6, pp. 197-199 ;
Amer. Jour. Sci., (3), vol. 3, pp. 468-470.
Green Mountain Geology : On the Quartzite. Amer. Jour. Sci., {■^,
vol. 3, pp. 179-186 ; pp. 250-256.
On the Oceanic Coral Island subsidence. Ibid., vol. 4, pp. 31-37.
1872-1873 On the Quartzite, Limestone, and associated rocks of the vicinity
of Great Barrington, Berkshire Co., Mass. Ibid., pp. 362-370;
pp. 450-453 ; vol. 5, pp. 47-53 ; pp. 84-91 ; vol. 6, pp. 257-
- 278.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1873 The Glacial and Champlain eras in New England. JHd., vol. 5,
pp. 198-21 1.
Results of the Earth's contraction from cooling, including a discus-
sion of the origin of Mountains, and the nature of the earth's
interior. Ibid., pp. 423-443 ; vol. 6, pp. 6-14; pp. 104-115 ; pp.
161-172.
On the rocks of the Helderberg era, in the valley of the Connecticut.
Ibid., vol. 6, pp. 339-352.
1874 Manual OF Geology. 2d edition, 911 pp., 8°. New York.
Text-book of Geology. 2d edition, 358 pp., 8°. New York
and Chicago.
Changes in subdivisions of Geological time. Amer. Jour. Sci., vol.
8, pp. 213-216.
On Serpentine pseudomorphs, and other kinds from the Tilly Foster
Iron mine, Putnam Co., New York. Ibid., pp. 371-381 ; pp.
447-459-
187s The Geological Story Briefly Told, an introduction to Geology
for the general reader and for beginners in the science. New
York, 12°, 264 pp.
Notice of the chemical and geological essays of T. Sterry-Hunt.
Amer. your. Sci., (3), vol. 9, pp. 102-109.
On Dr. Koch's evidence with regard to the contemporaneity of Man
and the Mastodon in Missouri. Ibid., pp. 335-346-
1875-1876 Southern New England during the melting of the great Glacier.
Ibid., vol. 10, pp. 168-183 ; pp. 280-282 ; pp. 353-357 ; PP- 409-
438 ; pp. 497-508 ; vol. 12, pp. 125-128.
1876 " The Chloritic formation '' on the western border of the New Haven
Region. Ibid., vol. 11, pp. 119-122.
On the damming of streams by drift ice during the melting of the
great Glacier. Ibid., pp. 178-180.
Plants as registers of geological age. Ibid., pp. 407-409.
Note on Erosion. Ibid., vol. 12, pp. 192-193.
On Cephalization. Ibid., pp. 245-251.
1877 An account of the discoveries in Vermont Geology of the Rev. Au-
gustus Wing. Ibid., vol. 13, pp. 332-347 I PP- 405-4^9 ; vol. 14,
pp. 36-37.
The relations of the geology of Vermont to that of Berkshire. Ibid.,
vol. 14, pp. 37-48 ; pp. 132-140 ; pp. 202-207 ; pp. 257-264.
The Helderberg formation of Bernardston, Mass., and Vernon,
Vermont. Ibid., pp. 379-387-
1878 Manual of Mineralogy and Lithology. 3d edition, 474 PP-,
12°. New Haven.
On the driftless interior of North America. Amer. Jour. Set., vol.
15, pp. 250-255.
391
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
" Indurated Bitumen " in the trap of the Connecticut valley. IHd.,
vol. i6, pp. 130-132.
Geology of New Hampshire. Ibid., pp. 399-401.
1878-1879 Some points in Lithology. IHd., pp. 335-343 ; pp. 431-440;
vol. 18, pp. 134-135.
1879 The Hudson River age of the Taconic schists. IHd., vol. 17, pp.
375-388 ; vol. 18, pp. 61-64.
1880 Manual OF Geology. 3d edition, 912 pp., 8°. New York.
Gilbert's Report on the Geology of the Henry Mountains. Amer.
Jour. Set., vol. Ig, pp. 17-25.
The age of the Green Mountains. IHd., pp. 191-200.
J880-1881 The geological relations of the Limestone belts of Westchester
Co., New York. IHd., vol. 20, pp. 21-32; pp. 194-220; pp.
359-375 ; pp. 450-456 ; vol. 21, pp. 425-443 ; vol. 22, pp. 103-
119 ; pp. 313-315 ; pp. 327-335.
1 88 1 On the relation of the so-called " Kames" of the Connecticut River
valley to the Terrace-formation. IHd., vol. 22, pp. 451-468.
1882 The flood of the Connecticut River valley from the melting of the
Quaternary Glacier. IHd., vol. 23, pp. 87-97 ; pp. 179-202 ; pp.
360-373 ; vol. 24, pp. 98-104.
Text-book OF Geology. 4th edition, 412 pp., 8°. New York.
Review of Button's Tertiary History of the Grand Canon district.
Amer. your. Sei., vol. 24, pp. 81-89.
Southward discharge of Lake Winnipeg. IHd., pp. 428-433.
1883 The western discharge of the flooded Connecticut. IHd., vol. 25,
pp. 440-448.
Phenomena of the Glacial and Champlain periods about the mouth
of the Connecticut valley — that is, in the New Haven region. IHd.,
pp. 341-361 ; vol. 27, pp. 113-130.
1884 Obituary of Prof. Arnold Guyot. IHd., vol. 27, pp. 246-248.
Condition occasioning the Ohio River flood of February, 1884. IHd.,
pp. 419-421.
On the Southward ending of a great synclinal in the Taconic Range.
IHd., vol.28, pp. 268-275.
The Cortlandt and Stony Point Hornblendic and Augitic rocks.
IHd., pp. 384-386.
Origin of bedding in so-called metamorphic rocks. IHd. , pp. 393-
396.
The making of Limonite ore beds. IHd., pp. 398-400.
The decay of Quartzite, and the formation of sand, kaolin, and crystal-
lized quartz. IHd., pp. 448-452.
1885 A system of Rock notation for geological diagrams. IHd., vol. 29,
pp. 7-10.
The decay of Quartzite :— Pseudo-breccia. IHd., pp. 57-58.
i BIBLIOGRAPHY
Creation ; or the Biblical Cosmogony in the light of modem sci-
ence. Bibl. Sac, vol.42, no. 166, pp. 202-224.
Taconic rocks and stratigraphy. Amer. your. Sci., (3), vol.29, pp.
205-222 ; pp. 437-443.
Origin of Coral Reefs and Islands. Ibid., vol. 30, pp. 89-105 ; pp.
169-191.
On displacement through intrusion. Ibid., pp. 374-376.
1886 Lower Silurian fossils from a limestone of the original Taconic of
Emmons. Ibid., vol. 31, pp. 241-248.
Arnold Guyot. Ibid., pp. 358-370.
Early history of Taconic investigation. Ibid., pp. 399-401.
General terms applied to Metamorphism and to the Porphyritic
structure of rocks. Ibid., vol. 32, pp. 69-72.
Taconic stratigraphy and fossils. Ibid., pp. 236-239.
A dissected volcanic Mountain, Tahiti. Ibid., pp. 247-255.
1887 Manual of Mineralogy and Lithology. 4th edition, 518 pp.,
12°. Nevr York.
Volcanic action. Amer. your. Sci., vol. 33, pp. 102-115.
Taconic rocks and stratigraphy. Ibid., pp. 270-276 ; pp. 393-419.
1887-1888 History of the changes in the Mauna Loa craters on Hawaii.
Ibid., pp. 433-451 ; vol. 34, pp. 81-97 ; pp. 349-364 ; vol. 35, pp.
15-34 ; PP- 213-228 ; pp. 282-289 ; vol. 36, pp. 14-32 ; pp. 81-
112 ; pp. 167-175.
1888 The Cosmogony of Genesis. Andover Rev., pp. 197-200.
Asa Gray. Amer. your. Sci., (3), vol. 35, pp. 181-203.
A brief history of Taconic ideas. Ibid., vol. 36, pp. 410-427.
Dodge's observations on Halemaumau. Ibid., vol. 37, pp. 48-50.
Notes on Mauna Loa in July, 1888. Ibid., pp. 51-53.
1889 Points in the geological history of the islands of Maui and Oahu.
Ibid., pp. 81-103.
The origin of the deep troughs of the Oceanic depression. Are any
of volcanic origin? Ibid., pp. 192-202.
1890 Characteristics of Volcanoes, with contributions of facts and
principles from the Hawaiian Islands. New York, 8°, 400 pp.
Corals AND Coral Islands. 2d edition, 440 pp., 8°. New York.
Sedgwick and Murchison — Cambrian and Silurian. Amer. your.
Sci., vol. 39, pp. 167-180.
Archaean axes of eastern North America. Ibid., pp. 378-383.
Rocky Mountain Protaxis and the Post-Cretaceous mountain-making
along its course. Ibid., vol. 40, pp. 181-196.
Long Island Sound in the Quaternary Era. Ibid., pp. 425-437.
The Genesis of the Heavens and the Earth and all the host of them.
Hartford, 12°, 70 pp.
393
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
1 89 1 The Four Rocks of the New Haven Region, East Rock,
West Rock, Pine Rock, and Mill Rock, in illustration of the
features of non- volcanic igneous ejections. With a guide to walks
and drives about New Haven. New Haven, 8°, 120 pp.
Features of non-volcanic igneous ejections as illustrated in the four
Rocks of the New Haven region. Amer. your. Sci., (3), vol. 42,
pp. 79-1 10.
On Percival's map of the Jura-Trias trap-belts of central Connecticut.
Ibid., vol. 42, pp. 439-447.
1892 Subdivisions in Archaean History. IHd., vol. 43, pp. 455-462.
Additional observations on the Jura-Trias trap of the New Haven
region. IHd., vol. 44, pp. 165-169.
1893 On New England and the Upper Mississippi basin in the glacial
period. Ibid., vol. 46, pp. 327-330.
1894 Observations on the derivation and homologies of some articulates.
Ibid., vol. 47, pp. 325-329.
189s Manual of Geology. 4th edition, 1057 pp., 8°. New York.
394
in
THE NEW HAVEN UNIVERSITY: WHAT IT IS, AND WHAT
IT REQUIRES. BY PROF. JAMES D. DANA, LL.D. 1871 *
The friends of Yale are not yet all aware that what they have been accus-
tomed to call Yale College, is fast becoming a subordinate member of a
University. The change began thirty years since, and has been rapid in its
progress during the latter half of that period ; and still its graduates, when
their thoughts turn New Havenward, think only of Old Yale, or of Old
Yale and its adjuncts, among them a " Scientific School." They have not
awakened to the fact that Yale College and the " Sheffield Scientific School
of Yale College " are parallel parts in one division of the New Haven Uni-
versity ; that this University has its well considered scheme of organization,
and, beyond this, is so far a realized fact that it will need from the successor
of President Woolsey (soon to be elected) little more than a filling out of its
existing system and means of instruction. Yale College is not losing its
high position in the change ; on the contrary, it is taking a more honorable
stand .through the higher developments in the system of education which its
officers and those of other departments are pushing forward.
We propose to give some account of the New Haven University for the
enlightenment of Yale graduates ; but also, and principally, for the benefit
of the public generally, who have reason for profound interest in whatever
concerns American college education. We may consider first. What the
University is; and, secondly. What is required for its completed develop-
ment. The subject of endowments is here left out of view,
I. The Nature and Condition of the University
I. Its general subdivisions. The University comprises five departments:
(l) the Philosophical ; (2) the Theological; (3) the department of Zsot y (4)
the Medical ; (5) the department of the Fine Arts.
The first of these departments — the Philosophical — consists of the Post-
graduate schools of the University ; and, tributary to them, there are two
undergraduate colleges : the Academic, or Yale College, and the Scientific,
or Sheffield College. The whole period of study, to the close of the Post-
graduate courses, is six years.
* The following brochure is reprinted as a landmark in the expansion of
Yale College.
395
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
This department, named by the statute the " Department of Philosophy
and the Arts," was established in 1847, for advanced students, literary or
scientific, and with it was connected, in i860, the degree of Doctor of Philos-
ophy, to be given only in case of high proficiency after a rigid examination.
The degree of Bachelor preceded in time that of Doctor, and was instituted
at the request of the officers of the Scientific School for graduates of a two-
years' course of study. This two-years' course was afterwards changed to a
three-years' course ; and it is now in contemplation to make it a four-years'
course. Other years of study follow for the degree of Doctor, making it six
years in all, as for students of the Academic department. There are hence
at Yale two undergraduate colleges, each terminating in the degree of
Bachelor, and each furnishing graduates to the Post-graduate schools. One
of these, the Scientific, has (as a result of its history) a place in this Philo-
sophical department, while the Academic, though no less entitled to the
position by its range of studies, has thus far remained outside — its professors
excepted, who with the professors of the Scientific College and some special
Post-graduate professors, constitute the faculty and give instruction in the
department. It is proposed to have both undergraduate colleges put on the
same footing ; and the arrangement adopted in this account of the Univer-
sity, which includes these two colleges as well as the Post-graduate schools
in the Philosophical department, is favored by the Academic faculty.
2. Subjects of Study. Besides the studies of Yale College, and those of
the Professional schools, Theology, Law, and Medicine, there are the follow-
ing courses in full and vigorous prosecution through the relatively new
Sheffield or Scientific College, under its twelve professors and other instruc-
tors, viz : Mathematics, Civil and Dynamical Engineering, Analytical and
Descriptive Geometry, Astronomy, Pure and Applied Chemistry, Agricul-
ture, Mechanics, Physics, Metallurgy, Zoology, Botany, Geology, Paleon-
tology, Physical and Political Geography, Linguistics, French and German,
besides the English Language and Literature, and other literary departments.
In addition, there are arrangements at Yale for instruction in Sanskrit,
Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, and other philological studies mentioned be-
yond. At the same time, the School of the Fine Arts supplies instruction
in drawing and painting, and lectures on art. The range of studies at Yale
has thus greatly widened within a score of years, and has taken a university
scope.
3. Philosophical Department. Education, moreover, has risen to a uni-
versity grade along nearly all the lines of study in the Philosophical depart-
ment, and provision has been made for the higher Post-graduate instruction
by the recognition of distinct Post-graduate sections or schools.
a. The Philological School, under Professor W. D. Whitney, Mr. Addi-
son Van Name, the Librarian of the University, and the Linguistic pro-
fessors of Yale and Sheffield Colleges, and of the Theological department.
Systematic courses of thorough instruction are provided for in general
philology, comparative study of the Indo-European languages, the special
THE NEW HAVEN UNIVERSITY
study of Sanskrit and other Oriental languages, Greek and Latin (for
advanced students), and the most important Teutonic and Romantic lan-
guages. The present organization of this Post-graduate school, only
recently perfected, is mainly due to Prof. Whitney. But its inauguration
dates from 1841, when Edward E. Salisbury was appointed to the Professor-
ship of the Arabic language and literature ; and we may add that Prof.
Whitney was one of his pupils. Mr. Whitney's duties as Professor of San-
skrit commenced in 1854, and have since been unintermitted.
b. Section of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy, Political Science, and
History,
c. Section of Mathematics, Physics, and Astronomy.
These sections have not been formally separated and systematized, yet
each has had its graduates during the ten years past who have taken the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The latter is especially incomplete in its
arrangements for physical instruction. Its mathematical course has been
pursued by a large proportion of those who have received the degree of
Doctor, and several students have been at work during the year now
closing. A first-class astronomical observatory is soon to be commenced,
and there is prospect of a physical laboratory in connection with the
Sheffield College.
d. The Sheffield College Section. The various courses of Sheffield College,
in pure and applied Science, are carried forward by its officers into the Post-
graduate department, where they constitute the Sheffield College section.
This is the widest in range of subjects in the University, and has had
recently far the larger part of the Post-graduate students. It has been in
excellent working order for several years, and has sent forth a number of
men of high scientific attainments. Many graduates of the Academic
College continue their studies by entering the Scientific College. From
the Sheffield College section should properly be separated :
e. The Engineering Section. There are two courses of study in this
section, that of Civil Engineering, and that of Dynamical Engineering.
The former was instituted in 1852, the latter the past year, by the establish-
ment of a special chair, which we may say is ably filled. Both have a
direct connection with the Scientific College. All the working plans and
drawings of the once extensive " Novelty Works," of New York, were
recently given to the department by the company, and they add much to its
resources for the higher range of education in Dynamical Engineering.
The method of instruction in the Post-graduate schools is to some extent
by means of lectures, but not popular lectures ; partly by laboratory or
field work, that is, in the sciences requiring such ; largely by means of
books for close study, and direct, personal aid from the professors in the
department, with frequent recitations. The aim of the University is to
have men in the chairs who will work as scholars on the ground, in order
to infuse thereby scholarly feeling and life into students, as well as ensure
thorough scholarship,
397
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
4. The other departments of the University have undergone less change
than the Philosophical. The Theological is in full tide of prosperity, and
has recently augmented its force by a valuable addition to its corps of pro-
fessors, and by the institution of important lectureships. The Medical
School has been somewhat enlarged in its sphere, and has an energetic
corps of professors.
The department of the Fine Arts has two professorships well filled, one
of Painting and Design, and the other of the History and Criticism of Art.
It has also the endowment of a professorship of Drawing (obtained within
a few weeks), an art building well adapted to its purpose, and the com-
mencement of a collection of paintings, including those of Col. Trumbull,
besides models, casts illustrative of the history of Greek sculpture, and
other conveniences to aid in instruction.
5. The University is thus organized ; and the fact has been manifested
for years by active work and graduating students under most of its recog-
nized sections. The Post-graduate students of the current year are pursu-
ing among them the sciences of Comparative Philology, Sanskrit, Latin,
Greek, Mathematics, Mechanics, Civil Engineering, General and Applied
Chemistry, Mineralogy, Geology, Paleontology, Zoology, and Botany.
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (instituted as already stated in i860),
was first given for Post-graduate studies in 1861, and then to three grad-
uates, two in philological studies and intellectual science, and one in
mathematics. In the two years 1862 and 1863, four received it, after
studies in the same sections ; and in 1866 four, two in mathematics and
physics, one in intellectual and moral philosophy, and one in chemistry, etc.
It has since been taken by five others. The number of the Post-graduate
students who have graduated in the department and taken its degree is very
small compared with the whole number that have pursued its courses of
study.
These are some of the fruits of the New Haven University ; and such
results are proofs that the name University is not misapplied.
Yet it is sometimes said that Yale has not made progress with the age.
We believe that in no institution in the country is this progress more
apparent than here. The scheme which has so far been carried out was
presented by the writer, speaking for others, in an address before the
alumni, at Commencement in 1856 — fifteen years ago, when the Scientific
School was struggling on under a few unpaid professors. Since then, the
Academic College, or Old Yale, has expanded its range of study by intro-
ducing the modern languages, and giving some scope to optionals, but not
by bringing the subjects of nature-science into its curriculum beyond what
is needed in these times for a graduate of well grounded academic culture.
The Scientific College, thanks to generous patrons, and to one above all,
has grown into thorough efficiency and enlarged its field until it now
embraces a wide range of literary as well as scientific studies. At the same
time both colleges range upward into the Post-graduate schools, which are
398
THE NEW HAVEN UNIVERSITY
essentially the head and front of the Philosophical department. Then,
alongside of these, there are the departments of the Fine Arts, Law,
Medicine, and Theology. Our action shows (and hence we need not hesi-
tate to say it) that we regard this as the best University scheme in the
land ; that is, the best, not for Germany, but for existing America. And
its special advantages are : first, that while it allows in its undergraduate
colleges the widest range of optional courses, option in the most funda-
mental point commences at the beginning of college life, each student then
taking the more literary course, that of the Academic College, or the more
scientific, that of the Sheffield College, as he may decide, and also having
liberty afterward, not only to select any optional course in his chosen
college, but also to change from one college to the other at any time should
he wish, and can meet the requirements ; and, secondly, — a feature of prime
importance, — that the two colleges have distinct faculties, each to regulate
independently the concerns of its own students, its system of studies, exam-
inations, appointments, and all matters of discipline. In our view, and our
experience also, the system is well adapted to secure ease of management,
efficiency of government, and thoroughness of education.
Leaving now the subject of the University as it is, we pass to the
consideration of,
II. What the University Requires
The University requires for its full and rapid development just the right
man the coming year in the Presidential chair, besides more ample means
of instruction in the several departments. The following remarks are con-
fined to the last of these points :
I. The Philosophical department. The deficiencies in the faculty of the
Academic College have been mentioned in another place (the Nation, for
May 26th), and most of these deficiencies are deficiencies also in the Post-
graduate department. The more important of these wants, as regards this
department, are a Professor of Political Science, this chair becoming vacant
in the resignation of President Woolsey, unless he should signify his will-
ingness to continue these duties ; also the institution of a chair of Physics
separate from that of Mechanics and Astronomy, and of German separate
from that of French. To give completeness to the system, there ought to
be also a chair of Italian and Italian Literature. Besides, additions might
well be made to the faculty of the Academic department, which would allow
its present corps to give more time to Post-graduate instruction.
The above observations apply also to the corps of instructors in the
Sheffield or Scientific College. Several of the professorships would be
divided and others added if it were organized with the completeness
required by the wants of the country. The separation of the chair of
Geology from that of Zoology, the chair of Metallurgy from that of Min-
eralogy, the chair of Mathematics from that of Engineering, the chair
of Astronomy from that of Physics, the appointment of a full professor of
399
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
German, and the establishment of chairs of Mining Engineering and of
Spanish are the changes most needed.
This Scientific College depends largely for its means of instruction on the
Museums of the University, and the collections of apparatus and models.
The mineralogical cabinet is excellent, and the zoological and paleonto-
logical are rapidly enlarging under the energetic professors of those depart-
ments. But each requires, in order to arrange and label specimens and
keep the museum in proper condition, one or more assistants — the miner-
alogical, one ; the others, each two or three. The collections need special
extension in the directions of human relics from caves and the deposits of
the last of the geological periods, and also in the wider department of Eth-
nology, especially American Ethnology, and now is the time for gathering,
since these relics wherever accessible are fast being brought into the
museums of the world. The Historical department is as much interested
in such collections as the Geological.
2. The Theological department. This department would be strengthened
by a Professor of Mental and Moral Science and Apologetics, and by a
special instructor in Elocution. The circumstance that its students have
ready access to many of the lectures and all the collections furnished in the
other departments renders the founding of new chairs less imperative. Of
the other wants of this department our plan forbids us now to speak. Its
new building, l5o feet long, finished but six months since, has already
proved too small, and another is projected.
3. The Law and Medical departments. For complete university success
in the schools of Law and Medicine the endowments for the departments
should be so large that the faculty would be free to strike off from the ordi-
nary grade of such schools and demand advanced scholarship for admission,
and high special attainments for the degree of graduation ; and also
sufficient to enable each institution to fill out its corps of instructors, and
the medical to extend greatly its museums. This has been the aim and de-
sire of the officers of the Medical school for several years. Moreover, for
the most satisfactory results, not merely New Haven, but the whole country
should be made to contribute to the corps of instructors.
4. The department of Fine Arts. It was the aim of the founder of this
department, as it is of its existing professors, that it should become a school
for high esthetic culture, as well as for instruction in the practical applica-
tions of the Fine Arts. To accomplish its purpose, it requires, as Professor
Weir rightly urges, an immediate addition to its present corps of a Professor
of Architecture, and also, as soon as may be, of a Professor of Sculpture
and a Professor of Poetry. The department needs also a special library of
works in every branch of the Fine Arts ; choice specimens of the best
engravings ; a considerable enlargement of its collection of models ; and an
extensive outfit of photographic illustrations, especially photographs of the
cartoons and sketches of the old masters. To complete the means of in-
struction, there ought to be here at least a few paintings of the highest
400
THE NEW HAVEN UNIVERSITY
excellence, and a historic gallery representing the progress of art from its
early beginnings. (The Jarves collection is only temporarily in the Art
Building.)
The " few paintings of the highest excellence," say ten, might be ob-
tained (if the friends of Yale will furnish the means) by giving orders to
some of the best painters of the world for paintings of moderate size, to
cost each not far from $10,000 ; or else through a fund entrusted to the
department for expenditure at its discretion. With ten such paintings for
young artists to study and copy, the place would be sure to become a centre
of art.
The departments of the University, but especially the Post-graduate and
.that of the Fine Arts, would be greatly benefited through the endowment of
Scholarships. By diminishing the burden of personal expense, they would
increase the number of Post-graduate students, encourage high proficiency,
and widen the beneficial influence of the University. It is desirable that all
the several courses pursued by advanced students should be thus favored,
Chemistry, Zoology, and Paleontology, as well as Mathematics, Linguistics,
etc. ; so that equal encouragement may be given to all branches of know-
ledge. The undergraduate colleges, the Academic and Scientific, also need
their scholarship funds ; but of these it is not within our present purpose to
speak.
The deficiencies of the University which have been mentioned above are
largely in the Law, Medical, and Art departments, the Law being wholly
without endowment, the Medical having very narrow means, and the Art
very inadequate funds, considering what is necessary for an efficient school
of the Fine Arts. The necessities of the Philosophical department in men
and means are also great ; yet not so great but that the schools under it are
doing systematic and thorough university work.
We close this brief account of the University by mentioning the relations
of the faculties to the Corporation, or Board of Trustees, the only superior
board.
The several departments, and also the two colleges under the Philosophi-
cal department, besides being independent of one another in their faculties,
students, classes under instruction, and government, are allowed each to
nominate to the Corporation its own officers ; to recommend its own grad-
uates to degrees on examination ; to determine what instructors are needed ;
and to lay out its own plans as to the methods of instruction, the arrangement
of its buildings, and even the amount of salaries ; the Corporation requir-
ing only that their views be sent to the Board for its consideration ; and
this is done with the full assurance, encouraged by long experience, that all
will be confirmed unless there is good reason for the contrary. Neither is
the President a dictator or manager. The Corporation approves, or disap-
proves, and regulates independently only those matters that are not within
the range of the separate or united faculties, and then at times after solicit-
ing advice from the faculties. It has never even questioned any decision of
401
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
the faculties in matters of discipline, and never appointed an instructor for
a faculty against its pleasure or judgment.
This confidence in the officers of the several departments has had many
good effects. A faculty, in consequence, is a result of natural growth from
the forces within the body : and therefore it is always harmonious, its
members acting well together and working as a unit for the progress of the
department. They know best the resources at their command, the weak
points to be met, and the accessions of strength required, and can, with
rare exceptions, best devise means or plans for all emergencies ; such con-
fidence is therefore reasonable, and its results good. Hence it is that the
officers at Yale have so strong a feeling of affectionate allegiance to the in-
stitution. Seven professors of the University have within two years been
invited to other positions in the country where better salaries awaited them,
and not one has gone. With such men, and such feelings, and such a
Corporation in spirit as has always ruled at Yale, the University is sure of
increasing prosperity. The accession to the Corporation of some of the
alumni, which we are glad to know is now in prospect, cannot result in im-
proving the relations of the Board to the various faculties. But it will, we
think, infuse new life into the University, enlist a wider sympathy in its
behalf, and thereby hasten on the era of its completed development.
New Haven, June ^, jSji.
402
IV
MISS ELISABETH E. DANA TO PROF. E. S. DANA
A note on the Dana Pedigree
152 Brattle St., Cambridge, Mass., Sept. 14, iSgg.
I have been much interested in my correspondence with Pres. Oilman
this summer in regard to the origin of our ancestor Richard Dana, and am
hoping to hear from you when you can spare time from your College duties
and other occupations. I understand that you are strongly inclined to-
wards the theory which your father adopted, that his origin was Italian, and
I should be very glad indeed to learn the arguments on that side.
I find among our old family papers a manuscript account of Richard the
emigrant, written by William EUery, the Signer of the Declaration from
Rhode Island, who knew well Richard's grandson. Judge Richard Dana of
Boston, which contains the following reference to Richard's origin — "who
came from England into Cambridge, being a French refugee." This paper
is endorsed by Chief-Justice Francis Dana (son of Judge Richard), who
married EUery's daughter Elizabeth. I think this is coming pretty near to
" the original Richard," Judge Richard having been born in 1700 and being
the own grandson and named for him. I think EUery would hardly have
written out these particulars for Francis and the descendants if he had not
got them from Judge Richard himself, and the son Francis evidently agreed.
They were all three educated men, and Francis was Secretary of Legation
to France, so that he knew something of that country. If they had only
written out more particulars !
I have written to an English genealogist to make inquiries about the
chances of tracing Richard Dana in England, and am intending to make
investigations myself in this country, this autumn, about the wife, Anne
BuUard.
403
INDEX
Agassiz, Louis, 5, 8, 158, ^59, 2^.9,
297, 298, 300; letters from, 184,
316-325
Agate, A. T., 57, 76, 78, 88, 90, 96,
122
Albany University, 321
Alexander, Prof. William D., 231,
232, 235
American Journal of Science, ch.
xi., 192 ft.
Andes, Excursions in the, 105-110
Andrews, Sherlock J., 32
Antarctic Continent, Discovery of,
77, 79, 116, 117, 121
Anthon, Charles, 49
Apia, Harbor of, 75, 87
Australia, Impressions of, 114
Bacon, Frederick A., 70
Bacon, Leonard, 164, 180
Bagg, M. M., Letter from, 15
Baird, Spencer F., 288
Bakewell, Robert, 69, 180; letter
to, 99
Baldwin, Henry, 235
Ballard, Henry E., 22, 23
Bartlett, Charles, 15
Beagle, Voyage of, 303
Beechey, Captain, 45
Berzelius, J. J., Letters from, 342-
347
Biddle, James S., 48
Blake, William P., 166
Blanchard, M., 268
Bond, George P., Letter from, 186
Bowditch, Nathaniel, 219
Bowditch Island, Discovery of, 87,
126, 133, 218
Brackenridge, W. D., 57, 62, 88,
90, 122
Brewer, William H., 166
Brinton, Daniel G., Estimate of H.
Hale, 61
Brongiuait, 162
Brown, John G., 57
Brush, George J., 41, 164, 166, 197,
284
Bushnell, Horace, 189
Callao (Pern), 107
Canker Worms, 359
Cannibals, 129, 136
Cephalization, Dana's views on, 250,
32S
Church, John B., 153
Clark, josiah, 18
Clark, William B., 166
Clarke, Rev. William B., 115
Clarke Medal, 278
"Club, The," 164; Dana's discus-
sion of Bushnell at, 189
Coan, Titus, 238
Coates, Dr., 56
Coit, George D., 152
Columbia River, 86-88, 94, iig, 130
Connecticut Academy of Arts and
Sciences, 164, 193
Cook, Captain James, 51, 65, 128
Copley Medal, 277
Corals, Study of, ch. xiii. ; Dar-
win's views on, 209 ; popular
errors concerning, 210 ; Mont-
gomery's poetry, 212, 213 ; growth
of reefs, 214 ; parlor lecture on,
222
Cordilleras, Excursions in the, 71,
72, 105-110
Couthouy, Joseph P., 56, 57, 62, 71,
76, 96, 122, 123, 147 ; letter of,
respecting New Zealand, 81
Creation and the Mosaic Records,
182
Crystals, Models of, 43, 44
Gushing, Caleb, 49
Dall, William H., quoted, 62
40s
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Dana Family, Pedigree of,io-i2, 403
Dana, Arnold G., 152, 332
Dana, Edward S., 19, 41. 152, 315 ;
quoted, 200, 201
Dana, Elizabeth E., quoted, 12;
letter from, 403
Dana, Frances (Mrs. Coit), 152
Dana, James Dwight, review of his
career, 3-10 ; birth, 13 ; parentage
and ancestry, 10-13 ; boyhood,
14-17 ; college life, 17-20 ;
teacher of midshipmen, 21-30 ;
Mediterranean voyage, ch. iii. ;
ascent of Vesuvius, 29 ; perplex-
ity regarding a career, 31, 32,
141 ; his Mineralogy prepared,
35-43 ; writes to Berzelius, 38-40 ;
services on the United States Ex-
ploring Expedition, 45-57 I ex-
periences, memories, and letters
on the Expedition, ch. vii. ; the
Pacific Ocean and its island world,
94-96 ; collections on the voyage,
122, 123 ; Reports on Geology,
Zoophytes, and Crustacea, ch.
viii. ; long delays in their publi-
cation, 142-145; residence in
Washington, 142; professorship
in Yale, ch. ix. ; overtures from
Harvard, 158 ; inaugural lecture,
160 ; public lectures, 162 ; tributes
from his pupils, 166 ; anecdotes
of his life, 167-176 ; European
tour, 177 ; ill-health mentioned,
177 ; religious characteristics, ch.
X., 179 ff. ; critique of T, Lewis,
179, 183 ; relations to the Ameri-
can Journal of Science^ ch. xi.,
192 ff. ; Manual of Geology^ ch. xii. ,
200 ff. ; analysis of it by H. S. Wil-
liams, 202 ; study of corals, Report
on the Zoophytes y ch. xiii., 208 fE. ;
relations to Darwin, 209, 210,
250, 255 ; close of life, ch. xvi. ;
death, 267 ; tributes to his mem-
ory, 267-273 ; tributes while
living, 273-278 ; academic honors,
276-278 ; personal appearance,
280, 286 ; habits of life, 281-283 I
relations with students, 284 ; his
continuous ill-health, 287 ; Bibli-
ography, 385-394
Dana, James Dwight, Letters of :
to E. C. Herrick, 8, 54, 56, 57,
96, 97, 114, 124
to B, Silliman, 36, 116, 367
to Berzelius, 38, 40
to Robert Bakewell, 99
to members of his family, 25,
26, 31, 37, 54, 116, 126, 129
to Asa Gray, 103, 118
to Edward S. Dana, 234, 236,
242, 263, 264
to Captain Wilkes, 130
on the wreck of the Peacock, 130
to J. W. Judd, 342, 343
to W. E. Gladstone, 356
to R. C. Winthrop, 358
to the New Haven Palladium,
359
to S. F. Baird, 362
to J. H. Ward, 364
Dana, Mrs. James Dwight, 232 ;
letters from, 235, 237, 288
Dana, James Dwight, 2d, 262
Dana, May, 261, 264
Dana, Miss, 232 ; letter from, 240
Dana, Richard H., Jr., 11, 55 ;
letter from, 186
Darly, Chas. I. O., 56
Darwin, Charles, 7, 9, 123, 284,
294, 298, 301, 338, 341; Dana's
relations to, 209, 250, 255 ; his
reception of Dana's Geology, 209 ;
study of corals, 216 ; correspon-
dence with Dana, 302-315
Daubree, M., 268
Davenport, F. L., 57
Day, George E., 18, 69
Day, Jeremiah, 17, 19, 154, 155, 157
Death of Dana, 267
Degrees, Academic, 276
DeKay, James E., 49
Delafield, Joseph, 50
Dickerson, Mahlon, 50 ; orders to
Exploring Expedition, 64
Disappointment, Cape, 94
Draper, John W., 327
Drayton, Joseph, 56, 57, 66, 70, 96,
146, 150
Durant, Henry, 19
D'Urville, Admiral, 79, 116, 117, 149
Dutton, S. W. S.. 18
Dwight, H. G. O., 13
Dwight, Seth, 13
Dwight, Timothy, 155
Dwight, Timothy, 2d, 159, 274
Dwight, William B., 335
Dyes, J. W. W., 57
Earth, Development of, Dana's view
regarding, 253-259
406
INDEX
Eaton, Amos, 15, 32
Edgerton, Fay, 15, 16
Eights, Dr. Jonathan, 56
Eld, Henry, 58, 66, 88, 90
Emerson, J. S., 238-241
Farrington, O. C, quoted, 172-176
Feejee Islands, 84, 85, 116, 123,
131-139
Fisher, George P., 155, 165 ; quoted,
188
Fitch, Eleazar T., 156, 182
Fitzroy, Captain, 45, 2og
Forbes, Rev. Mr., 236, 237
Friendly Islands, 83
Froude's Oceana quoted, 83
Gallatin, Albert, 50
Geikie, Sir Archibald, 8 ; Dana's
letters to, 332 ff. ; letter from, 269
Genesis and Geology, ch. x.
Geology, Manual of, ch. xii.
Gibbs, George, cabinet of, 18, 33,
164
Gibbs, Josiah W., 50
Gibbs, Wolcott, 197
Oilman, Edward W., 152, 283
Gladstone, W. E., 188 ; letter
from, 356
Glass, Francis, 46
Goodale, George L., 278
Gould, Benjamin A,, 158
Gray, Asa, 7, 16, 17, 53, 57, 59, 63,
143, 158, 167, 181, 197 ; corre-
spondence with Dana, 293-302
Gregory, Francis H., 51
Guyot, Arnold, 5, 8, 181, 187, 188,
284, 302 ; correspondence with
Dana, 325-332
Hadley, James, 156
Hague, Arnold, 166
Hale, Horatio, 56, 61, 66, 78, 96,
122
Haleakala, Crater of, 246
Hall, James, 330
Harris, Thaddeus W., 63
Harvard University, Overtures to
Dana, 158, 296, 297
Hawaiian Islands, 3, 85-87, 124,
125 ; visit to, in 1887, ch. xiv.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 57
Heddle, W. Forster, 272
Henry, Joseph, 54, 295
Henry, Wilkes, Death of, 85
Herrick, Edward C, Sketch of, 22 ;
letter from, 23 ; declines an ap-
pointment on the Wilkes Expedi-
tion, 63 ; mentioned, 8, 33, 41,
54, 57, 155
Hitchcock, C. H., 337
Hobson, Lieutenant-Governor, oc-
cupies New Zealand, 81
Holmes, Silas, 18, 58, 66
Honolulu, see Hawaiian Islands
Hooker, Sir Joseph, 277, 298, 304
Hubbard, Oliver P., 32, 38, 152
Hudson, William L., 52, 64, 86, 87,
121, 130, 131, 218, 219
Hull's Island, 85
Humboldt, Alexander von, 259, 355
Hunt, E. K., 18
Hunt, T. Sterry, 333, 335, 336, 340
Huntington, Daniel, Portrait of
Dana, 280
Ice-sheet, Continental, Dana's views
regarding, 259
Johnson, E. A., 18
Johnson, Samuel W., 197
Jones, Ap-Catesby, 49, 50
Jowett, Dr. Benjamin, citation from,
9
Judd, Chief-Justice, 244
Judd, Prof. J. W., 8, 341 ; letter
from, 270 ; letters to, 342, 343
Kearney, Lawrence, 51
King, Clarence, 166
Kingsley, James L., 17, 46, 154,
157
Kingsmill Islands, 87, 129
Krusenstern, Admiral, 45, 50
Le Conte, Joseph, 268 ; address
commemorative of Dana, ch. xv.
Leidy, Joseph, 306
Lesley, J. P., 265
Lesquereux, Leo, 330
Leverett, Frank, 266
Lewis, Tayler, 179, 183, 186, 187,
331
Lima (Peru), no
Lima, J. Francesco, 33
Linton, Edward, quoted, 168-172
Long, Andrew K., 53, 97, 103
Loti, Pierre, 55
Ludlow, Henry G., 164
Lyell, Charles, Letter from, 354
Mahon, Port, described, 26-28
Maitland (Australia), 114
407
LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA
Manila, 8g
Mantell, Dr., 162
Marquesas Islands, 86
Marsh, James, 187
Marsh, Othniel C, l66, 177, 197,
284, 287, 290, 334
Mason, Ebenezer Porter, 155
Mauna Kea, 86
Mauna Loa, 86, 124
McClure, William, 34
McKenzie, Alexander, 181, 188
McLeay, Alexander, 115
McLeay, William S., 115
Medical Staff of the Exploring Ex-
pedition, 58
Mediterranean Cruise, Dana's, 24-
30
Melville, Herman, 56
Merritt, William C, 232, 235, 243
Meteoric Showers, 54, 125
Milne-Edwards, H., Letters from,
348-353
Missionaries, Impressions of their
Work, 104, 105, III, 113, 121,
128
Mitchell, Donald G., 156, 272
Montgomery, James, criticised, 212,
213, 227
Morse, S. F. B., Letter from, 355
Munger, T. T., 267
Murchison, Sir R., 330
Murray, Rev. Mr., Missionary, 112,
128
National Academy of Sciences, 165,
329, 362
Naturalists, Celebrated, Ages of, 279
Navigators' Islands, see Samoa
Negroes in Rio de Janeiro, Charac-
teristics of, 67
Newcomb, Simon, and others.
Letters from, 275
New Haven, in 1850, 153 ; studies
of the surrounding region, 165
New Haven University, Dana on
the, 395-402
Newton, Hubert A., 155, 197
New Zealand, Observations in, 80-
83, 114, n6 ; acquisition of, by
Great Britain, 81
Noir Island, near Cape Horn (danger
to the Relief), 69, 70, 94, 99, 103
Norton's Literary Gazette quoted,
211
Nott and Gliddon's Types of Man-
kind, 324
Noyes, Burr, 32
Olmsted, Denison, 33, 155, I57
Owen, Professor, 314
Pacific Ocean, subsidence of, 22 1 ;
cruise of the Wilkes Squadron,
see United States Exploring Ex-
pedition
Pago-Pago, 56, 75, 77
Palmer, Captain N. B., 48
Palmer, Dr. J. C, 283 ; his poem
Thuiia, ■iTi
Park, Edwards A., 185
Patagonians, Glimpses of the, 103
Paulding, James K., 50, 64 ; letters
to, 80, 81
Paumotus, 72, 209
Peabody Museum, 164, 334
Peacock, Wreck of the, 88, 94, 116,
130 ; bad condition of, 67
Peale, Titian R., 56, 57, 70, 79, 88,
96, 122
Pearce, James A. , 49
Percival, James G., Estimate of
his Geology of Connecticut, 158,
364 ; Coral Grove quoted, 220, 225
Philippine Islands, 89, 90
Pickering, Charles, 50, 56-58, 70,
90, 96, 109, 121 ; Gray's estimate
of, 59
Pickering, John, 50
Pierce, Benjamin, Letter from, 186
Poinsett, Joel R., 50, 62
Pomare, Chief, 82
Preston, E. D., 247
Prestwich, Sir Joseph, Letter from,
269
Publication, Difficulties of, 144 ff.,
151
Randall, John Witt, 56
Reid, James W. E., 70
Reynolds, John N., Advocate of the
U. S. Exploring Expedition under
Wilkes, 45-49. 53
Rich, William, 57, 88, 90, 96, 109,
122
Ridgeley, C. G., 52
Ringgold, Cadwallader, 53, 86
Robinson, Sir Hercules, 85
Roscoe, Sir Henry, 264
Ross, Captain, 79, 80 (note)
Russell, William H., 18
Salisbury, Edward E., 156, 158
408
INDEX
Samoa, 74, 75, 86, 87, 111-113, 128
Sandwich Islands, see Hawaiian
Islands
San Francisco (Cal.) in 1841, 89
Santiago (Chili), 107
Saussure, H. de. Letter from, 353
Sheiifield Scientific School, 38 (note),
163, 164
Shepard, Charles U., 32, 33, 37, 43
Silliman, Benjamin, 17, 20, 32, 33,
38, 43, 149, 55, 156, 159-162, 193,
.363
Silliman, Benjamin, Jr., 152, 159,
196, 308, 326
Silliman, Benjamin D., 32 ; letter
from, 271
Smith, Sidney I., 166
Society Islands, 74 ; letter from, 1 10
Sooloo, Sultan of, Treaty with, 90
Southard, Samuel L., 47
Stanley, Anthony D., 155
Stevenson, Robert Louis, 55, 75, 77
and note
Stewart, Charles S., 26
Stoddard, Charles W., 55
Stuart, Moses, 182
Sydney (Australia), 78, 114, 115,
Taconic Question, 260, 335-337,
339
Taft, Alphonso, 18
Tahiti, 73, no, in
Tappan, Benjamin, 144-146, 148
Thacher, Thomas A., 156, 289
Thiers, A., 357
Tonga Islands, 83, 84, 116
Twain, Mark, quoted, 77
Twining, Alexander C., 155, 164
Underwood, Lieutenant, 85
United States Exploring Expedition,
1838-42, chaps, v.-viii.
Utica (N. Y.), Dana's Birthplace,
13, 14, 40, 43, 141, 161, 162, 163;
high school at, 15
Valparaiso (Chili), 107, 109
Van Buren, Martin, 50
Verrill, Addison E., 166, 197, 284
Vesuvius, Ascent of, 367
Volcanism, 251
Volcanoes, Hawaiian, 243
Volcanoes, Volume on, ch. xiv.
Walcott, Charles D., 167, 260, 265,
269 ; quoted, 167
Walker Prize, 278
Wallace, Alfred R., 331, 332
Whelpley, James D., 29, 33, 69
White, Henry, 164, 180
Whitney, J. D., 329
Whitney, William D., 155, 159,
163-165
Wilkes, Charles, Commander of the
U. S. Exploring Expedition, 45,
51, 52, 57, 63, 64, 65, 66-91
(frequently) ; letter to, from Dana,
130
Wilkes Land, Discovery of, 116,
117
Williams, George H., 166, 167
WiUiams, Henry S., 166, 197, 263,
268, 340 ; quoted, 202, 253
Williams, Rev. John, Missionary,
76, lit, 113, 114
Williams, S. Wells, 17, 143, 274,
275
Winthrop, Robert C, 277 ; letter
from, 357
Wollaston Medal, 277
Woodward, Henry, Letters from,
271, 278
Woolsey, Theodore D., 154, 157,
164
Yale College and University, Dana's
Connection with, 17-20 and ch.
ix. ; Silliman professorship at, 6 ;
Institute of Natural Science at, 33,
54 ; Berzelius Society, 38 ; cabi-
net of minerals, 18, 33 ; Peabody
Museum, 18, 208 ; Dana's descrip-
tion of the college in 187 1, 395-402
Zoophytes, Report on, 144-151
409
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